


A different fight

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Series: A different goodbye [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 04, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, NO Smoak family here, Oliver has PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:59:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 55,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7414627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to 'A different goodbye.' Four months have passed since the defeat of Ra's and Oliver and Laurel are incredibly happy as they rebuild their once broken love. But they face threats in the form of Ghosts, Damien Darhk, and a secret from Oliver's past. Are they strong enough to get through it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the sequel to A different goodbye. After some time, I’ve decided to write this. Now, there are some changes I’ve made to the season four plot, aside from the obvious departure of Felicity. Some of the changes you will learn as you read but there are some things you should know right off the back. Firstly, Oliver still suffers from his PTSD. This is mainly because I find it ridiculous and idiotic that a relationship with Felicity magically cures him of it. The things that happened to him in those five years are not something that you just get over, if you ever get over them. Any psychologist worth their degree can testify to that. Second is that Oliver and Laurel live at the loft and Thea has moved in to her own apartment. Finally, there will be no Momma or Papa Smoak in this story, not at all. 
> 
> Updates will be irregular because after Laurel’s death, I deleted all episodes of Arrow prior to that episode off my DVR I was so angry. I do not currently have access to season four and my cwtv connection is a little sketchy.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Morning

Oliver sat up in bed, managing to control his breathing. Trying to calm his heart rate, Oliver looked over to Laurel’s side of the bed to see her gone. Hearing footsteps, Oliver looked up to see Laurel walk in, dressed only in one of his shirts. Even after all these years, she still took his breath away just by walking into the room. 

“I made breakfast,” Laurel smiled before frowning at his appearance, “nightmares again.”

“The Amazo. Watching Sara drown. Stabbing Slade in the eye before the ship flooded.” Oliver said tonelessly.

“Ollie, maybe you should…talk to someone?” Laurel suggested carefully.

“A shrink? And say what, that I’m having nightmares about my five years away where I was a hitman, a spy, and a Russian mobster?” Oliver asked as he got of bed and put some pants down, “raises too many questions.”

“I know, I just…I hate not being able to help you through this.” Laurel said.

“You do, just by loving me,” Oliver walked over and kissed her, “Laurel, I’m never gonna stop having these nightmares, but I can deal with it.”

“okay,” Laurel reluctantly agreed, “so, wat are your plans for the day?”

“I have a meeting with the board of directors who want to decide if I am worthy of reinheriting my family’s company.” Oliver said blandly and Laurel winced.

“That bad huh?” Laurel said sympathetically.

“Let’s just say I can’t wait for tonight.” Oliver sighed.

Star City  
Night

Two motorcycles pursued a truck. One was ridden by Black Canary with Speedy tagging along while the other was ridden by Green Arrow. As two armed men in masks emerged from the open back and began firing at them, the two motorcycles swerved to avoid the bullets.

“This is so cool!” Speedy shouted.

“Did the definition of ‘cool’ change while I was away?!” Green Arrow asked.

The motorcycles drove up on either side of the truck. Speedy shot an arrow on the side of the truck and used it to get up on the side of the truck and then swing so she had entered the back. As she started to fight them off, Green Arrow spotted one sneaking up on her. Notching an arrow, he shot it into the guys shoulder and he fell off as he lost his balance. 

“I saw him!” Speedy protested as she fought off the others.

“Sure Speedy, whatever you say.” Green Arrow said nonchalantly.

As Speedy was knocked down by one of the men, he heard someone one the roof. Spartan jumped down into the truck and shot the man in the shoulder, causing him to go down.

“You two are up.” Spartan ordered.

Black Canary rode up to the rise and threw an explosive at the back tires. As it exploded and the truck was forcedly pulled to a stop, Green Arrow rode up to the front to confront the driver. Before he could, two vans rode up and out stepped multiple man in the same uniform.

“Damn it they had backup.” Spartan cursed as Green Arrow notched an arrow.

The four vigilantes were forced behind the side of the truck when the men opened fire. As the cargo was loaded up into the van, Green Arrow shot out from behind the truck and fired an arrow. As he snuck back behind the truck, the arrow seemed to harmlessly hit the side of the van, so the man didn’t pay too much attention to it. In no time at all, the crew drove off.

“Damn it, they got away.” Spartan cursed as they emerged from behind the truck.

“No they didn’t,” Green Arrow said as his teammates turned to him, “I don’t miss, you guys know this. Your lack of faith is hurtful.”

“…the arrow was a tracer arrow.” Spartan deadpanned and Green Arrow smirked.

“They’ve been interfering in our missions for weeks, why just stop one group when we can stop all of them?” Green arrow suggested.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“Anyone get eyes on the cargo?” Diggle asked as they walked down the stairs.

“Seemed like equipment containers to me.” Oliver pointed out as he went to the computer and brought up images, “scratch that, weapons. Kord industries is one of the biggest weapons manufactures in the world.”

“How about your tracer?” Diggle suggested and Oliver went to work.

“…it’s dead,” Oliver said in disbelief, “either my tracer is outdated or these Ghosts are smarter than we thought.”

“So what do we do now?” Thea asked and no one seemed to have an answer.

“Dig, in your military days, did you ever have to go on a reconnaissance mission?” Oliver suddenly asked and the other three suddenly looked at him.

“Oliver, what are you suggesting?” Diggle asked uncertainly.

“We’ve been failing against these Ghosts because we’ve been trying to stop them. How about instead, we try and follow them next time. Maybe they’ll lead us to their leader.” Oliver suggested and Diggle seemed to mull it over.

“It could give us a break in the case.” Laurel suggested and after another moment, Diggle nodded. 

“Okay, next time we see them; we stay at a distance and follow them.” Diggle decided.


	2. Damien Darhk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow attempts to stop The Ghosts from taking over Star City.

Star City  
Next night

Laurel was talking to the district attorney when her boss stopped. Laurel looked on in concern and then horror as her boss dropped to the floor, her coffee mug shattering. Laurel barked an order at the bystanders as she walked out, digging out her phone and dialing the number she knew by heart at this point.

Oliver and Thea were at Thea’s new apartment, watching an action film. They were laughing as they critiqued the unrealistic stunts when Oliver’s phone rang. Seeing Laurel’s name flash across the screen, Oliver answered it.

“Hey.” Oliver greeted casually. 

“Ollie, Star City leadership is being targeted,” Laurel told him and he sat up straighter, which didn’t go unnoticed by Thea, “they just poisoned the District Attorney. I’m on my way to my father, you and the others get to the other two members.”

“We’re on it,” Oliver hung up and he stood up, already dialing Diggle, “Thea, we need to suit up and go. I’ll explain on the way.”

Star City Police Department  
Shortly afterwards

Quentin was talking to his officers when the building was suddenly filled with small explosions. A masked man with a rifle walked into the room and the officers opened fire on him but it didn’t seem to be affecting him. Another man with a rifle emerged and shot the officers. Quentin held up his hands as he lowered his gun. 

Outside City Hall  
Same time

Green Arrow and Speedy ran up to the parking lot but they were too late. The City Controller of Emergency Services, who they supposed to protect, was already on the ground, blood staining his shirt where his bullet wound was.

Star City Police Department  
Same time

Black Canary struck the two Ghosts across the back of the head with her two batons. The Ghosts turned around and tried to fight her off as Quentin fled behind a desk. She managed to knock out two of them but another emerged, striking her across the face. Black Canary looked up and saw the Ghost had his gun aimed at her when a roar of rage was heard before Quentin tackled the Ghost. There was a brief struggle and a gun shot was fired before Quentin punched him in the face. The Ghost went down as Quentin clutched his wounded arm. Black Canary stood up and rushed over to him.

“Are you alright?” She asked concerned.

“It’s just a flesh wound.” Quentin assured her as two more officers rushed in.

“Captain Lance,” one of them said as they both turned to her, “the District Attorney was pronounced dead and reports are coming in that the chief medical examiner and City Controller of Emergency Services have also been killed.” 

“That’s pretty much the city’s leadership.” Black Canary pointed out.

“Things carry out like this, there won’t be a city left to lead.” Quentin muttered grimly.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Now we really need to find these guys before our city goes to hell.” Thea said as they all stood in the lair.

“Okay, these weapons had to be stolen for a reason. I’m gonna go pay a visit to Kord Industries; see what I can find out about these explosives,” Oliver stood up before freezing, “sorry, didn’t mean to step on your toes Dig. That okay?”

“Yeah. Any other suggestions?” Diggle inquired, looking a bit pained as he said it.

“Maybe Laurel should go to her father, get a list of potential targets,” Oliver said after some thought, “Dig, maybe you and Thea should hit the streets, see what you guys can find.”

“Laurel, do as he says,” Diggle said after a moment and Laurel walked off, “I have a wife and toddler to get back home to, Thea, head out to the streets. Oliver, call me if you find out anything.”

Kord Industries in Star City  
Later

Having stealthily made his way into the home office, Green Arrow encountered a few guards. Holding back so not to hurt them, Green Arrow fought in self-defense only before notching an arrow. He fired it, the arrow completely missing them and landing in the wall behind them. The Green Arrow then ran through the window behind him, firing an arrow and using it as a zip line.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Okay, I have that list,” Laurel said as she walked down the stairs to see Oliver on the computer, “what are you doing?”

“Hacking Kord Industries database.” Oliver said without looking up and she blinked.

“You can do that?” Laurel asked stunned and he smiled dryly.

“I’m not as good as Felicity. I need to use a trick arrow to gain access to the mainframe. It’s how I got Adam Hunt.” Oliver told her.

“Always wondered about that.” Laurel said as she walked up beside him.

“Got something,” Oliver said as a beep went off, “there’s a GPS tracker built into the explosives. It’s offline but the last known location was at someplace called Admiral Interchange.”

“It’s a truck depot outside Penny Town. My mom used to take me and Sara to a playground near there when we were kids.” Laurel told him.

“I’ll call Thea, you call Dig.” Oliver said as they stood up.

Admiral Interchange  
Later

Team Arrow stood on a rundown building across from the depot. They were standing watch as they waited for The Ghosts to make an appearance.

“I heard about places like this. Owners left when the City started tanking.” Spartan said.

“Well our new friends seemed to have found a use for it.” Green Arrow said as the saw movement.

“Gentlemen, the world’s a funny place, “a man with grey hair in a business suit said as he stepped into the team’s line of sight, “it fights progress. And so the only way to move forward is to fight back. You men are here tonight because you understand that. But our cause is only as strong as our weakest man. Mr. Obress, please step forward.”

A man took off his mast, revealing a man around Oliver’s age with dark hair and blue eyes.

“You commanded a high jacking the last night, from Kord Industries.” The man said.

“Yes sir. We encountered some resistance but we handled it.” Obress said a tiny bit of fear in his voice as the man laughed.

“Well I guess your definition of ‘handle’ is a little different than mine. When I handle a problem, it dies.” The man said as he walked passed him.

“Sir, we got away with the bombs-”

“Shhh. You know, I love this town in the fall. I mean, yes, it looks pretty much the same as it does in the other three seasons but I admire consistency. I respect Dependability,” the man said as he turned around, “and you’ve shown me neither. And so, allow me to show you something. It’s another kind of beauty; it’s the manipulation of primordial energies. The grazing of leavers that god uses to move the world. This.”

The man put a hand on Obress’ chest and Obress seemed to gasp as something happened. Team Arrow watched, horrified, as Obress skin turned grey.

“Oh my god.” Black Canary breathed.

“What the hell is that?” Speedy demanded.

“Move!” Green Arrow shouted and Spartan didn’t even bother to remind him that he wasn’t leader anymore as they moved.

The four vigilantes jumped down into the fray, the man moving his hand from Obress in surprise. A fight began and Green Arrow used his bow to take out every Ghost that came at him. Black Canary and Spartan took on one at a time as Green arrow saw Speedy. She was repeatedly pummeling one Ghost even after he was unconscious.

“Speedy!” Green Arrow cried out and it seemed to break her from her trance as she looked up at him.

“SCPD, hands up!” a voice called out. 

Growling in irritation, Green Arrow walked over to a downed Ghost and picked him up by his collar roughly.

“What are they gonna do with the explosives? Tell me!” Green Arrow bellowed.

“They’re gonna destroy Star City station.” He said before losing consciousness. 

The police opened fire and the team was forced to retreat.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“So they’re planning to use the explosives to blow up the new train station?” Thea asked as the four of them walked down the stairs.

“That’s what the concussed Ghost said when I asked him.” Oliver said idly.

“They’re probably planning thee attack for tomorrow night, they’re celebrating the new opening.” Diggle hypothesized.

“And on top of everything, we’re dealing with a Metahuman.” Laurel snarked.

“He wasn’t a Metahuman.” Oliver disagreed.

“Ollie, that wasn’t natural.” Thea pointed out.

“I know. It was mystical.” Oliver said.

“How can you be so sure?” Diggle inquired.

“Because I’ve seen things, things that can’t be explained by science.” Oliver said.

“And I suppose you’re not gonna tell us about these things you’ve seen.” Diggle said an edge of hostility in his voice as Laurel shot him a look.

“We need to focus on finding the cluster bombs. It would take too long to activate the GPS.” Oliver told them.

“Fine, then we do this the old fashion way.” Diggle said.

Star City station, next day  
Afternoon

“This is the old fashion way?” Thea asked Oliver as she used an app to try and scan the area.

“Can we maybe talk about last night? You seemed a little...out of control.” Oliver said carefully.

“This coming from the guy who used to use criminals as target practice.” Thea said pointedly.

“Look, I am amazed at how far you’ve come these last four months and I’m under no illusions about this being a violent life. But I want you to remember that it’s restraint that separates us from them.” Oliver warned her.

“Ollie, I’ve just become a better fighter.” Thea protested.

“A better fighter remains in control when they fight. Is everything okay?” Oliver inquired.

“Everything is fine. My brother just can’t seem to stay out of my business.” Thea snapped as she walked off.

Oliver sighed before spotting Diggle and walking over to him.

“Any luck?” Oliver asked and Diggle shook his head, “does Thea seem a little off to you?”

“No, she’s fine, maybe a little too aggressive maybe. I seem to remember that you were the same way when you started out.” Diggle said pointedly.

“But I never lost control. John, I think maybe something’s wrong with her.” Oliver confessed.

“Oliver, what are we doing here? Pretending that everything’s alright between us? We may be out here but we are not out here together. We can’t go back; I can’t pretend you’re someone that you’re not. I couldn’t fathom how you could do what you did but then I realized it. You were able to fool Ra’s and the League because inside you are every bit as dark as they are inside.” Diggle snapped before storming off.

Laurel and Quentin walked inside and Quentin stiffened at the sight of Oliver. Laurel, catching his look, gave him a pointed look.

“Dad, stop. I kept what happened to Sara from you, let it go.” Laurel snapped.

Arrow lair  
Later in the afternoon

“You look upset.” Laurel noted as she saw Oliver staring blankly at the computer screen.

“Just something Dig said. Maybe he was right; maybe…I can’t truly be in the light. There’s too much darkness in me.” Oliver said miserably.

“John is just upset, he’ll come around.” Laurel told him.

“It’s been months Laurel.” Oliver pointed out.

“And I remember when you first came back; I hated you for what you did. But eventually, I saw the good in you and I fell in love with you all over again. Give Dig a little more time, he’ll come around. And he’s wrong Ollie, you have a light in you, I’ve seen it. If you half as dark as you think you are, we wouldn’t be together.” Laurel said as he put her arms around his neck.

“If there isn’t a bomb at the station, how do they plan to blow it up?” Thea asked as she and Diggle walked in and something jogged in Oliver’s memory.

“Wait a minute,” Oliver said as he turned to his laptop, “the reason we didn’t find a bomb is because they’re planning on bring it in on a train. It’ll be on the first train there, so the time is in nine-fifty-eight.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Diggle asked surprised.

“Because a man named Edward Fryers tried a similar tactic to blow up a plane my first year on Lian Yu.” Oliver explained.

“Let’s suit up.” Diggle ordered and the team moved to get ready.

Star City  
Later

As the first train neared the Star City station, a car pulled up beside it. 

“Get me closer!” Green Arrow shouted.

“Trying!” Spartan shouted back.

Once he was close enough, Green Arrow jumped onto the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. Purposefully making some noise, Green Arrow waited before grabbing the Ghost and throwing out the side. Jumping inside, Green Arrow inside to see the man from last night trying to get a response from the man he had thrown out.

“Sorry, he had to get off at an earlier stop.” Green Arrow said, drawing the man’s attention.

“You can’t be The Arrow, he died. So who are you?” the man asked amused.

“You’re about to find out,” Green Arrow said before notching an arrow and aiming at the man, “stop the train.”

“No, I don’t to,” the man said like a spoiled child, “even if I did, I couldn’t. I destroyed the breaking system twenty miles ago.”

“You’re willing to die to destroy a train station?” Green Arrow asked in disbelief.

“No, that would be ridiculous.” The man said as he started to step closer to Green Arrow. 

“Then how are you planning on getting off the train?” Green Arrow demanded.

“Oh, you don’t know who I am, do you?” The man said as Green Arrow fired. 

To his shock, the man held up a hand and the arrow stopped in mid-air. The man smirked at Green Arrow’s expression as the arrow rotated in mid-air.

“I’m Damien Darhk.” Darhk introduced himself.

Green arrow fired more arrows but achieved the same result. Darhk twirled his hand and the arrows went flying back at the archer. Green Arrow used his bow to knock them away before rushing at Darhk. The two exchanged in a short bout which ended when Darhk got behind the archer and put him in a chock hold. Darhk threw Green Arrow into a metal pole, which broke upon impact. Green Arrow stood up and jumped back before firing another arrow. Darhk stopped it as before but this time, the arrow exploded. Darhk was thrown back just as Spartan walked inside the room.

“We can’t stop the train?” Green Arrow said as he walked over to him.

“You got any ideas?” Spartan asked.

“Yeah, blow it up.” Green Arrow suggested.

The two jumped out of the train, rolling on the ground harmlessly. The two stood up and Green Arrow notched an arrow. He waited a few seconds before firing. Upon impact with the train, a huge explosion took place, lighting up the area. They stood their looking at the wreckage for a moment before Green Arrow’s danger sense went off. Except it wasn’t warning him for his own safety. 

Green Arrow quickly shoved Spartan out of the way but it wasn’t enough time to save himself. A gun shot rang out and Green Arrow felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as he went down. Spartan took out his gun and fired, hitting the shooter, the Ghost that had been thrown out of the train earlier, in the shoulder. As the Ghost went down, Spartan rushed over and checked on Green Arrow.

“Hey, you alright?” Spartan asked as he helped Green Arrow to his feet. 

“Bullets are never fun but I’ve had worse.” Green Arrow said as he winced.

“Oliver, you took a bullet for me.” Spartan said stunned.

“Of course, you’d do the same for me.” Green Arrow said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“…Yeah.” Spartan smiled and the archer felt something heal between them.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“That doesn’t look so good.” Thea noted as Oliver sewed himself up after extracting the bullet.

“I’ve had worse,” Oliver said as he set down the needle and thread after finishing, “guys, this isn’t over, not by a long shot. The man in charge of The Ghosts is Damien Darhk.”

“As in the same Darhk we tried to trade to Ra’s four months ago?” Laurel asked stunned.

“The same.” Oliver nodded. 

“Oliver is there anything that Ra’s told you about Darhk, anything at all?” Diggle asked him.

“Just that he continues the League’s ways through his own hive of Agents.” Oliver explained.

“Hive,” Diggle said looking like he had seen a ghost, “that was the exact word he used?”

“Yeah. Does it mean anything to you?” Oliver asked as they all stared at him.

“Deadshot told me that Hive was the one who hired him to kill Andy.” Diggle said and they all stared at him stunned.

“We’ll find out why, I promise Dig.” Oliver said and Diggle nodded.

“Well um, in the meantime, do you wanna go…get a drink?” Diggle asked awkwardly.

“Sure.” Oliver after a moment as Thea and Laurel exchanged a smile.

Star City  
Later

Laurel walked down some stairs, carrying some things.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Laurel to the person chained up in the corner.

Her only response was for a snarl to come out of the mouth of Sara as her sister’s blue eyes bore into her with no recognition.

In another part of Star City  
Same time

“So, how are things with you and Laurel?” Diggle asked as he and Oliver sat across from each.

“Good, their good. Better than they’ve been since I came back.” Oliver said with a smile.

“Good. I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.” Diggle said as he smiled back.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, six months later  
Mid-afternoon

Barry Allen walked inside the loft, immediately spotting Oliver. Oliver was sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of scotch in front of him. It probably wasn’t his first, Barry mused as he walked over.

“What are you doing here Barry?” Oliver asked without looking up.

“Dig called me, I would’ve been here sooner but I had trouble with Zoom,” Barry said and Oliver nodded, “how’s Laurel?” 

“She’ll be fine psychically. The doctors are optimistic.” Oliver said blankly.

“And the…other thing?” Barry asked quietly, not sure how Oliver would react.

“We haven’t told her yet.” Oliver said and Barry nodded, “there was a time when I would’ve thought that this was my fault. That I brought this darkness into our lives. Now I know it’s not my fault, it’s my responsibility.” 

“To do what?” Barry asked uncertainly.

“To end it. I’m gonna kill him.” Oliver growled.

“Is there anything I can do?” Barry inquired.

“No. I’d like to be left alone.” Oliver said firmly.

Barry nodded before walking out, leaving Oliver alone. Oliver put a hand to his eyes as tears flowed.


	3. The Candidate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend of Moira's decides to run for mayor but puts herself and her daughter in danger. Oliver tries to juggle being CEO of Palmer Tech while he tries to point out Thea's blood lust to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone says anything, I know that I gave Oliver Felicity’s storyline this chapter but that will not be a continued theme, nor will giving Laurel no storyline. I have a plan, trust me.

Star City  
Night

It was business as usual. Team Arrow dodged bullets as they fought off the Ghosts. Green Arrow shot off an Arrow into one of the crates, creating a zip line. Black Canary used one of her batons to use the zip line to fly toward another area. As she dropped off and began to fight off the Ghosts, Green Arrow ran off. Using the Palmer Tech satellite, he used his wrist mounted tablet to run a program that searched for the bomb. Locating it, Green Arrow looked up and was momentarily distracted by how much Speedy seemed to be enjoying the fight before he refocused. Jumping off the grates, Green Arrow crashed through the ceiling and landed on the ground floor and went to work. 

Seeing two Ghosts, Green Arrow notched two Arrows and fired. They were hit in the shoulder and immediately incapacitated. Walking passed them; Green Arrow immediately located the bomb. Taking out a spray, Green Arrow sprayed it on the monitor, freezing it. Putting the spray away, Green Arrow tapped his comms unit.

“Spartan, I found the bomb. Dismantling these things is more your expertise than mine.” Green Arrow said idly.

“I’m on it.” Spartan grunted.

Arrow Lair  
Morning

“Hey, can I talk to you?” Oliver asked Thea before pulling her aside without waiting for her answer, “You seemed like you were out for blood tonight.”

“I think we both know if I go easy on them, I get hurt.” Thea said pointedly.

“I’m worried that if you keep going at the rate you’re going, you’re gonna put one down permanently.” Oliver said bluntly.

“I know where the line is okay? And Mrs. Danforth and her daughter are gonna be at our house in like an hour, so I don’t have time for one of your lectures or a shower. I pick shower.” Thea said briskly before storming off.

“What was that about?” Laurel asked as she walked over.

“Maybe nothing. But I’m starting to become…concerned for Thea.” Oliver admitted.

“So, you have lunch plans and then you have to meet with the Board. Aren’t you Mr. do-it-all?” Laurel asked teasingly, trying to get his mind off it.

“And you as a lawyer, trying to save the world.” Oliver chuckled softly.

“Its official Ollie: we’re a power couple.” Laurel grinned.

Palmer Tech  
Afternoon

“So your mom’s friend, Jessica Danforth, is planning on running for mayor?” Laurel asked Oliver on the phone as he walked down the hall.

“Yeah, threw me and Thea for a loop to. Look, I’m almost to the board meeting. I’ll call you later, I love you.” Oliver said.

“I love you to.” Laurel said before they hung up.

“Mr. Queen, so glad you could join us.” One member of the board said snidely as Oliver walked inside the room.

“Thank you,” Oliver said brightly, pretending not to notice the snide tone as he sat down, “let’s get down to business, shall we?”

“Perhaps we should start with this quarters financials?” another member suggested as Oliver was handed a file.

“Wow. I know it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but this doesn’t look good.” Oliver said after taking a look at the file.

“These are hard times for Star City, this company is not immune. Fortunately, Mr. Holt has provided us with a way out.” the same board member said as he looked over at the African-American man sitting in the corner.

“Um, hello,” Mr. Holt stood up and waved nervously, “I’m actually not a member of the board; I work in the design/innovations department.”

“Tell Mr. Queen about your algorithm.” The board member ordered.

“It’s pretty simple actually. I used specialized AI to determine maximum profits that can be derived with minimum work force reduction,” Holtz said before frowning, “probably could’ve explained that better.”

“No, I got the gist. You’ve come up with a list of people you want me to fire.” Oliver said blankly.

“Well, work force reduction sounds better?” Holtz said questioningly.

“The only thing we’ll be reducing is all of your bonuses to start with.” Oliver said firmly.

“We’ve already been down that road Mr. Queen.” The board member who’d first greeted him said condescendingly.

“I didn’t fight my way back into this company to fire people; I did it to protect the legacy of my family and Ray Palmer. He may have been just another boss to you, but he was my friend. He was a good man and he wouldn’t support this action.” Oliver almost growled.

“And if we do not dramatically reduce our costs or raise our profit, there will not be a legacy to protect.” The board member who’d introduced Holt snapped.

Star City  
Later in the afternoon

“So, somehow I have to figure out a way to reduce the cost of Palmer Teck without firing anyone.” Oliver told Thea as they walked through the crowd.

“Is there a way?” Thea asked curiously.

“One thing I learned in the five years I was away is that there is always a way out of any situation. You just have to look carefully.” Oliver told her sagely.

“Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?” Thea changed the subject, “I mean running for mayor in this town is like asking to get on the Titanic.”

“You heard me try and talk her out of it.” Oliver said pointedly.

“I’m pretty sure you saying we’d be here cancelled that out.” Thea said crossly.

“You have a mouth Thea; you’re usually pretty good at using it.” Oliver said as they stepped up to the front of the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Jessica Danforth!” was heard over the intercom. 

Oliver and Thea joined in on the applause as Jessica walked on stage and up to the podium.

“Thank you, thank you all so much,” Jessica said as the applause died down, “for the past six months, the mayor’s office has been vacant, waiting for someone to step forward on behalf of Star City. Well, I am here today to tell you I am stepping forward.”

Oliver and Thea exchanged uncertain glances as they joined in on the polite applause. Once it died down, Jessica began to speak again.

“Two years ago, I lost my dear friend, Moira Queen, who was also a candidate. I remain inspired by her kind heart and her selfless devotion to this city.” Jessica said, stirring emotions of sadness in Oliver and Thea.

Before Jessica’s speech could continue, gunfire pierced the air. The crowd dispersed as they ran for cover, the bullets piercing the podium. Fortunately, Jessica’s security had already gotten her out of their at that point. Oliver and Thea looked around for the source.

“Shots came from up there,” Thea pointed towards the balcony on the top floor and Oliver moved to investigate, “no, you protect Jessica. I have got this.”

Oliver didn’t like it, but knowing there wasn’t time to argue, Oliver nodded. Oliver pursued Jessica and her security detail as Thea ran up the stairs. 

“The shots are just a distraction, there’s no Ghosts up here!” Oliver heard Thea shout.

Knowing he had little time, Oliver sped up and found Jessica about to be attacked by a member of her own detail. Acting fast, Oliver tackled the man away from Jessica. There was a brief struggle before Oliver pushed the man over the edge of the railing. Fortunately for the assailant, it wasn’t a long drop, so he picked himself up and ran.

“Get back to the atrium!” Oliver barked at Jessica.

“Oliver, how did you?” Jessica asked overwhelmed.

“Uh, self-defense classes.” Oliver scrambled for an excuse before jumping over the railing.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Oliver rushed through the door the assailant had gone through, which led to a stairwell. Oliver ran up the stairwell and saw the assailant making his way across a stage and towards an emergency door. A few seconds behind his target, Oliver followed him out the emergency door to the assailant jump off the roof of a truck. Oliver followed the stair and jumped off them to the roof of the truck to the street. Oliver tried to pursue the assailant but was hit by a car from behind. It wasn’t going that fast, so it barely fazed Oliver, but it gave the assailant enough time to escape.

Arrow Lair  
Night

“She announces her candidacy and two seconds later someone’s trying to kill her? Must be a record for our city.” Diggle said grimly as Team Arrow stood in the lair.

“She’s not dropping out of the race so this isn’t over.” Oliver said grimly.

“My father has a protective detail on her.” Laurel assured them.

“Yeah, but even with protection at the announcement, she didn’t appear too safe,” Thea pointed out, “and the guy wasn’t wearing a mask, maybe it’s not The Ghosts.”

“I’m not sure about that, but there was one other thing different about him: he left behind evidence.” Oliver said as he led them over to the windshield of the car the assailant had used.

“Finger prints.” Diggle pointed the stains on the windshield.

“How’d you get the owner to part with his truck?” Laurel asked impressed.

“I bought his truck,” Oliver said and smiled at the look on their faces, “one of the benefits of inheriting a million-dollar company. We have money now.”

Oliver walked over to the computers and began running the prints through a compiled list of suspects. Oliver frown as he saw the results.

“This can’t be right.” Oliver said to himself as he stared at the screen.

“What is it?” Diggle asked as the rest of them walked up behind him.

“I think our assailant cut of his finger tips and reapplied them after rearranging the skin. It’s impossible to find out who this is unless it’s an M.O.” Oliver said as he stood up.

“Either way, Jessica needs more than police help.” Diggle pointed out.

“My father has her in protective custody and I’m pretty sure my father won’t be in favor of us staking out his precinct.” Laurel pointed out.

“Ollie-” Laurel began.

“I know Laurel. He hates me, he blames me for Sara’s death, I know. But I’ll make him see that this isn’t about him or me.” Oliver said firmly as he walked out of the lair.

Star City Police Department  
Later 

Quentin was talking to one of his officers when he saw Oliver standing in the room. 

“Do you have a minute?” Oliver asked.

Shrugging, Quentin led him into his office. Once the door shut behind them, Oliver began to speak.

“Jessica is a friend and I thought, with everything the city’s facing, the SCPD could use all the help it can get.” Oliver said as Quentin sat down in his chair.

“And you think you can help? I’m not saying that the city doesn’t need saving, but a guy hiding behind a mask isn’t gonna get it done. What this city needs is someone willing to stand up in the light of day, not a guy lurking in the shadows. Laurel’s told me you plan to be different, how?” Quentin demanded as he took a drink.

“This isn’t about you or me, this is about Jessica. We’re going to help, with or without your approval. You can try and stop us or you spend your time trying to protect Jessica.” Oliver said briskly before walking out. 

Palmer Tech, next day  
Morning

“You’re late Mr. Holt.” Oliver said coolly as Holt walked in.

“Sorry, I was looking at the numbers again.” Holt said as he walked over to Oliver sitting at the head of the table.

“The same numbers that gave me a list of people to fire?” Oliver said coldly.

“Wait, you think that I-” Holtz began offended.

“I am not my father Mr. Holt, I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I don’t like to fire people.” Oliver sighed.

“I developed an algorithm to create a value matrix, to argue for companywide pay increases, raises. Mr. Dennis turned it around and had me figure out who to fire.” Holt said and Oliver looked up at him, seeing him in a new light.

“So this wasn’t your idea?” Oliver asked as a plan began to form. 

“I was trying to get people paid more, not paid nothing.” Holt said.

“Can I see your original algorithm?” Oliver asked as a plan started to form.

Arrow Lair  
Night

“Just got word from Dig and Laurel, no movement at the precinct,” Thea said as she walked in before stopped upon seeing Oliver using a long cotton swab on one of the finger prints on the windshield, “what are you doing?

“I noticed that there seems to be a residue on our assailant’s fingers prints.” Oliver said as he walked over to the computer and put it through the scanner.

“How do you notice these things?” Thea asked stunned.

“I was trained by Slade Wilson, before he went crazy, and Amanda Waller,” Oliver told her as ho got something, “Cellulose, but it seems like it’s been…altered somehow, according to the database. It’s been patented…by Palmer Technologies. A subsidy area, Palmer Paper. They shut it down a few months ago, before I started trying to get back in, to save costs.”

Star City  
Later

Green Arrow and Speedy rode in on their motorcycles, looking around as they got off.

“Stay sharp, he’s got some sort of electricity weapon.” Green Arrow warned as they approached a homeless man.

The man dropped whatever he was holding as they approached, Speedy holding up a photo of the assailant. 

“The guy in the photo, you seen him?” Green Arrow asked.

“I don’t see much, I sleep a lot. But that guy,” he pointed to a man a little older than Thea, “he sees a lot, he deals.”

Nodding, Green Arrow and Speedy turned and approached.

“Hey, we need to ask you a few questions.” Speedy barked.

“Step off freak.” The man sneered.

Speedy shoved him and he stumbled back a bit. Speedy held up the photo again.

“The guy in the photo, you seen him?” Speedy demanded.

“You masks, you think you’re in charge,” the man sneered, “maybe you were, but there are new mask-”

Speedy grabbed his wrist and began twisting it at a painful angle. Green Arrow cried out but Speedy ignored him.

“Still want to use your arm? Still think you’re in charge?” Speedy snarled before twisting his arm.

“Hey!” Green Arrow barked as he yanked her arm off the man, “Get out of here!”

Glaring at her brother, Speedy stormed over to her motorcycle and got on it. Green Arrow watched, now even more concerned, as she drove off.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“We’re gonna have a conversation about what just happened.” Oliver told Thea in a no nonsense voice as they walked into the lair, causing Diggle and Laurel to look up at them.

“What just happened was that I was s trying to get information out of that guy.” Tea snapped.

“You broke his arm Thea.” Oliver scoffed.

“He was stalling.” Thea protested.

“He was scared. Come here.” Oliver almost growled as he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him.

“What are you doing?” Thea yanked her arm out of his hand.

“At the water plant, you took out Ghosts. You could have done it with a very simple disarming technique. Like this,” Oliver demonstrated the technique on her, causing Diggle and Laurel to stand up, “but that’s not what you did.”

Thea lunged at him but Oliver easily subdued her without hurting her. Oliver grabbed her arm and made her bend forward.

“You went overboard with a series of techniques designed to do one thing, cripple!” Oliver shouted.

“Oliver.” Laurel called out warningly.

Thea roared as she yanked her arm out of his grip before punching her brother. She then lunged for him, tackling him and knocking him into a shelf. The shelf went over with them on it. Laurel and Diggle rushed forward and pulled Thea off Oliver.

“That’s enough!” Diggle ordered. 

“Its fine, it’s fine,” Oliver said as he stood up while Thea seemed to come back to herself, “after Ra’s…hurt you, Malcolm warned me not to take you to Nanda Parbat. He warned me that when people come out of the pit, they don’t come out the same. I didn’t tell you because you seemed normal Thea and I swear to god that I thought everything was gonna be fine. But I did what I had to do to save you.”

“You…you did all this six months ago, why is it only happening now?” Thea demanded overwhelmed.

“It’s probably been showing up subtly over time, so we didn’t notice it until now.” Oliver explained.

“So what do we do about it?” Diggle asked as Laurel wrapped an arm around Thea, hoping to bring her comfort.

“Right now, how about we just focus on getting this unknown assailant. After words, I think I have plan, but you’re not gonna like it. I don’t like it.” Oliver said with a scowl.

“How much are we not going to like it?” Laurel asked hesitantly.

“On a scale of one to ten? Twenty-five.” Oliver said glumly.

Star City Police Station, next day  
Afternoon 

“To the man who took my daughter,” Jessica said as she stood in front of the news cameras, “I am begging you, let my baby go. She’s my whole world.”

Jessica walked off, wiping the tears away. Oliver looked up as Quentin approached him.

“My officers were killed with some weapon that shocked them with fifty-thousand volts, slit their throats for good measure.” Quentin told him.

“You refused to work with me, not two of your guys are dead. Now will you work with us instead of against us?” Oliver asked pointedly.

Arrow Lair  
Night 

“Any luck?” Laurel asked as she walked down the stairs to see Oliver at the computer.

“No,” Oliver growled as he stood up, “this is just perfect. My sister is going homicidal maniac, Jessica’s daughter is missing, and I can’t seem to figure out a way to save my company without firing dozens of people. It’s just like when I came back after The Undertaking: I can’t make things better as the Green Arrow and I can’t make things better as Oliver Queen.”

“Hey, look at me,” Laurel walked over and made him look her in the eyes, “nothing worth doing comes easily. You will figure out a way to solve all this, you always do. You stopped Malcolm, you stopped Slade, you stopped Ra’s, you have stopped everyone else you have ever come up against, and you can stop this guy. And give it some time with Palmer Tech, you’ll figure it out, the Ollie I know wouldn’t give up until he did.”

Oliver’s phone rang; ruining the moment Oliver detangled himself from Laurel and picked it up. Swallowing his surprise at the name flashing across the street, Oliver answered it.

“ Captain?” Oliver asked, feeling Laurel look at him surprised.

“Heavy Heavy Club, Fourth and Pierce.” Quentin said.

“What about it?” Oliver asked confused. 

“It’s where Lonnie Machin, that’s the guy’s name, is holding Jessica Danforth’s daughter,” Quentin told him, “you say you’re trying to do things differently now. Here’s your chance to prove it.” Quentin told him before ending the call.

Star City  
Later

Machin was about to kill Jessica’s daughter when the glass window’s above them shattered. Machin looked up as Team Arrow landed on their feet, aiming their weapons at him. 

“Get away from the girl!” Green Arrow barked.

“Can you come back in an hour? We were just getting started.” Machin said sadistically.

Machin moved out of the way and Green Arrow fired his arrow. The arrow completely missed him and Machin hid behind some barrels. Reemerging with a can of air freshener and a lighter, Machin used it to make a handmade flamethrower. The vigilantes had to dodge the fire and once the fire had faded, Machin seemed to vanish. Spartan ran over to Madison and picked her up, examining her.

“She needs medical attention.” Spartan said.

“You two go, we got this.” Green Arrow said and they nodded before departing.

“Hey, can you handle this?” Green Arrow asked Speedy.

“I’m good.” Speedy assured him.

Taking her at her word, Green Arrow notched another arrow as they looked around for Machin. The two walked into a bar area, where they looked in different directions. There was no sign of Machin until he emerged behind Speedy, using his electric weapon to shock Speedy. She cried out as she stumbled forward. And fell to the ground Green Arrow fired at him but he spun his weapon and the arrow bounced off it harmlessly as Machin approached Green Arrow. He tried to shock the archer but Green Arrow used his bow to block it. It began almost a lightsaber duel as they backed each other into the room where Machin had held Madison. Green Arrow was holding his own pretty well until Machin got behind him, shocking him.

Green Arrow fell to his knees, overwhelmed with pain. He had been in some bad situations where he had gotten seriously hurt before, but that shocker or whatever it was took the cake. Dazed, he looked up to see Speedy and Machin fighting. Speedy kicked him into a shelf and picked up his electric weapon. Knowing what she was planning, Green arrow shot to his feet and moved to intercept her.

“Speedy don’t!” Green Arrow shouted as he moved but he wasn’t quick enough.

She shocked her and his clothes caught fire. Green Arrow notched an arrow and fired it towards a pipe, breaking it slightly. A spray of water came down on Machin, putting out the fire. He was on the ground, face down, and didn’t move once the spray faded. 

Palmer Tech  
Later

“Mr. Queen, it’s been two days and there has been no work force reduction,” Mr. Denis said, I thought we agreed-”

“We didn’t agree to anything, you talked and I listened, “ Oliver cut him off, “you don’t seem to understand the kind of man I am. I am not my father. And neither was Ray Palmer, he wouldn’t approve of this, he’d be disgusted by it. Mr. Holt, come in.”

“You asked to see me, Mr. Queen?” Holt asked uncertainly as he walked in, taking a look at all the faces of the board members.

“Yes please come in,” Oliver said before turning to the board, “as I was working with Mr. Holt, I discovered he has a project that will allow us to make a good profit and make it unnecessary to fire anyone. In fact, we’ll need all hands on deck.”

“Intriguing. Go on.” Mr. Dennis crossed his arms. 

“Uh…” Holt said not knowing what Oliver was talking about.

“That is confidential until it’s finished. But I assure you, it will change the world.” Oliver said smoothly.

“Very well. Present it at the first shareholders meeting, six months from now.” Mr. Dennis said and Oliver and Holt exited the room.

“There is no world changing project, is there.” Holt said as they walked out.

“Not that I know of, but I’m pretty sure you do.” Oliver said as he looked over at Holt.

“Pretty bold move sir.” Holt said impressed.

“It’s just who I am.” Oliver grinned as he walked off.

Thea’s apartment  
Later

“Hey, Thea.” Oliver walked into see Thea lying on the couch.

“Looks like I was wrong to tell you not to worry,” Thea looked over at Oliver, what is this idea I’m not gonna like?”

“Pack your bags, we’re headed to Nanda Parbat.” Oliver told her.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Later

“You’re taking her to Nanda Parbat? Ollie, Malcolm is the one that got her into this mess?” Laurel told Oliver angrily as they stood on the balcony.

“I know…but I don’t know what else to do. Malcolm is the only one I can think of that might be able to help Thea. I would rather cut off my own arm than trust him, but I think this is the only way.” Oliver sighed and Laurel nodded reluctantly.

“Ollie…this is about more than Thea, isn’t it?” Laurel asked concerned.

“My old approach…isn’t enough. This city needs more than what we, as vigilantes, can offer. Your father said it and so did Jessica. Hope, inspiration and I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do to give that to people. I think I’ve figured out a way…but I’m not sure how you’ll take it.” Oliver admitted.

“What is it Ollie?” Laurel asked confused.

“Laurel…I’m gonna run for mayor.” Oliver said and she stared at him stunned.


	4. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Thea arrive at Nanda Parbat, hoping Malcolm can help Thea. Back in Star City, A Metahuman causes trouble for Laurel and Diggle as Diggle finds a lead about Hive.

Star City  
Night

Black Canary rode into the scene as Spartan ran off in the direction of the other Ghosts. She pursued the Ghost over the stacks of logs and went down on the ground when something happened. The moment her motorcycle touched the ground, there was a miniature explosion that knocked her off the vehicle. As she stood up, uninjured but slightly dazed, Spartan ran over and helped her to her feet. They looked around for the Ghost but he was long gone.

“Your boyfriend picked a hell of a time to take Thea to killer rehab.” Spartan grumbled and Black Canary shot him a look.

“It was for Thea and she wouldn’t be much help right now with what she’s going through.” Black Canary snapped and he nodded, looking thoroughly chastised. 

Nanda Parbat  
Same time

Oliver and Thea, led by a few assassins, were led into the throne room where Malcolm was finishing up a spar with some assassins.

“My liege, Al-Sah-Him and your daughter are here.” The assassin announced.

“Thank you, you may leave us.” Malcolm said and the assassins left until only Malcolm was left with Oliver and Thea, “so what brings the two of you to Nanda Parbat?”

“You know how you warned me not to use the pit on Thea? Well, you were right. Thea has been experiencing some…” Oliver trailed off, not sure how to put it. 

“Homicidal urges.” Thea deadpanned.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna put it like that, but yeah,” Oliver said as he looked at Malcolm intensely, “it’s your fault she’s in this mess to begin with; the least you can do is help her.”

Star City, next day  
Night 

Laurel was in the basement she had stashed Sara in, trying to rehabilitate Sara when her phone went off. Digging out her phone, she saw it was the alert that Oliver had set up on the lair’s computer to go off when any crime happened. Glancing back at her feral sister, Laurel stood there a minute before she ran up the stairs. She tried calling Diggle but he didn’t answer. Swearing under her breath, Laurel ran off.

Star City warehouse  
Later

Black Canary jumped down to the floor and walked over to the dead body. Hearing some approach her from behind, Black Canary whirled around as she took out side batons. A man with tattoos of cards all over his arms stood on the other side of the aisle.

“Who are you?” Black Canary demanded.

“You can call me…Double Down,” he said with a smirk, “I was hoping for the Green Arrow, but I guess you’ll do.”

Double Down reached down and peeled one of the guards off his arm, revealing it to be a real card. He then threw it at Black Canary, the speed with which it traveled astounding and deadly. She jumped out of the way but it managed to nick her on the shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. Black Canary sprinted down the warehouse, dodging the playing cards Double down was throwing at her. She hid behind a car as he stopped.

“Are you ready to call this yet?” He asked.

Infuriated, Black Canary jumped up and moved in as she screamed. Double down was forced to cover his ears as the glass in the warehouse shattered. Black Canary got him with her batons and he tried to fight her off but she was too quick and he was on his back before he knew it.

“Now you can call it.” She sneered.

“Oh, not just yet.” Double down said as he reached behind his back. 

With his hands reemerged, he threw two playing cards at her. She used her batons to block it but he repeated the same action and achieved the same result. Eventually, he threw so much at her that Black Canary was backed into a shelve and fell back with it as it fell. She winced as she felt a card slice her arm as she got up and was forced to retreat. 

Nanda Parbat  
Later

“What’s happening to me?” Thea asked as she, Oliver, and Malcolm sat in Malcolm’s private chambers.

“The pit contains traces of all the souls of the men and woman who have bathed in its waters,” Malcolm began patiently as he discreetly shot Oliver a dirty look, “what they restore, they can also take.”

“What does that mean?” Oliver demanded.

“It means she must feed the impulse and the affects will subside for a time.” Malcolm said and the Queens glared at him.

“That’s your solution, for Thea to go on a killing spree?!” Oliver demanded angrily.

“Unbelievable. For once, can you at least pretend to be a normal dad?!” Thea shouted as angry as her brother.

“Okay, okay,” Malcolm held up his hands in surrender, “there may be something else. There’s a man, a sage they call him, in the mountain. He is a master in the ancient arts of healing; he may be able to help you with this. Does that qualify as being normal?”

“Normal enough.” Thea said roughly.

“Get some rest, both of you. We’ll start at first light.” Malcolm said and Oliver began to lead Thea out of the room.

“Al-Sah-Him,” one of the assassins stopped him on the way out, “may I speak to you privately?”

“Sure,” Oliver walked a little away from Thea, “what is it?”

“There are those of us here…who still see you as the rightful Ra’s ah Ghul.” The assassin revealed.

“I’m not; I gave it up to Malcolm.” Oliver said firmly.

“I know…but you need to see something.” The assassin said as she placed a slip of paper in Oliver’s hand before walking off.

Oliver looked after her before opening the paper and reading it. As he read it, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Thea walked up behind him and looked down at the paper.

“What’s that?” Thea asked as she couldn’t read Arabic.

“Someone wants me to look in the dungeon.” Oliver translated. 

Arrow Lair  
Same time

“Laurel, are you okay, what happened?” Diggle asked as he came down to see Laurel stitching herself up.

“I faced a Meta on my own because you weren’t answering your phone,” Laurel said as she finished stitching herself up, “where were you?”

“It’s a long story.” Diggle said vaguely.

“No, it’s a really short story. Ollie put you in charge because he trusted you to make the right decisions but clearly you aren’t if you won’t answer my calls when I need you to and being secretive. So where. Were. You.” Laurel demanded angrily. 

“I was looking into a lead on Hive. On the woman who hired Deadshot to kill my brother. She got away,” Diggle admitted and Laurel nodded as she calmed down slightly, “do you think this Meta is connected to Darhk?”

“I don’t know, he was saying that he was hoping it would be Ollie, so it’s probably a good bet.” Laurel told him.

“Come on then, there’s something you need to see.” Diggle said and she stood up.

Diggle’s apartment  
Later

Diggle led Laurel through his apartment where he walked over to a safe. Punching in a code, Diggle opened the door and pulled out a folder, which he then handed to Laurel.

“This is everything I’ve collected the last two years on Hive. Last page,” Diggle said and Laurel turned to the page to see a picture of a dark haired woman, “that is Mina Fayad, the woman who hired Deadshot to kill my brother she arrived in town last night and a day later this new Meta shows up, looking to take out Oliver? I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“You think she hired him.” Laurel said knowingly.

“This is my first legitimate lead Laurel.” Diggle told her and she nodded in understanding.

Nanda Parbat  
Same time

Oliver walked down into the dungeon, noticing that no guards were there except in front of one room. Oliver approached the two guards and they tensed as he approached. Oliver stopped and raised an eyebrow, almost challenging them. Finally, they relaxed and Oliver entered the room. As he walked inside, he froze upon seeing who was there.

Nyssa al Ghul lied on a bed, staring up at the ceiling dully. When she heard him enter the room, she turned her head and smirked upon seeing Oliver. 

“Hello husband,” Nyssa drawled as he threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, “how are you?”

“Nyssa? Why are you being held prisoner?” Oliver demanded angry on her behalf.

“Because I destroyed the Lazarus Pit.” Nyssa said bluntly and Oliver blinked.

“What?” Oliver asked stunned.

“It was in the wrong hands…so I destroyed it.” Nyssa said darkly. 

“What happened Nyssa, what did Malcolm do?” Oliver demanded worriedly.

“Ask your beloved,” Nyssa said before looking over his shoulder, “guards, I wish to be left alone.”

Arrow lair  
Later

“So how do we find her without Felicity or Oliver?” Diggle asked Laurel as she surfed the traffic cam footage.

“With a little help,” Laurel as she typed at the computer, “Felicity left a program that lets us locate a cell phone number and Ollie taught me how to use it.”

“Really?” Diggle asked surprised.

“It was at our loft, we made a game out of it: strip hacking.” Laurel said with a smirk.

“And that was more information than I ever wanted to know.” Diggle said with a shudder.

“Got it.” Laurel said as she stood up. 

Nanda Parbat  
Same time

Oliver was walking down the hall when he ran into Thea. Oliver became concerned when she rushed towards him and wrapped him in a hug, the same way she used to do as a child when she became scared of thunder storms.

“Thea, what is it?” Oliver asked worriedly as Malcolm walked up behind her.

“Ask him.” Thea said as she glared at Malcolm hatefully.

“What did you do?” Oliver demanded as stepped away from Thea and took a threatening step towards Malcolm.

“I told you, the only way to stop the blood lust is to satisfy it.” Malcolm said and Oliver put the pieces together.

“He made you kill.” Oliver said as he looked over at Thea.

“His own men.” Thea said and Oliver was filled with rage.

“You know what, I’m done Malcolm,” Oliver said as he turned towards the man, “I have trusted you over and over again and it always blows up in my face, no more.”

“So you’re leaving then.” Malcolm said and Oliver flashed him a nasty smile.

“No, just the opposite: I am the rightful Ra’s al Ghul, not you,” Oliver said and Malcolm paled as he realized what Oliver was getting at, “I challenge you to a trial by combat for the title of Ra’s.”

Star City  
Slightly later

Black Canary walked into room to see Fayad sitting in a chair. Or rather, Fayad’s body. The two walked forward, seeing the playing card in her mouth.

“This was my last lead.” Diggle said dismayed.

“I’m sorry John.” Black Canary told him.

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault, it’s mine. I should have told you about this when I got the lead. If I had, maybe she would be a live enough to give me some answers.” Spartan said disheartened. 

“You’ll get answers John, we will get them.” Black Canary promised.

“Laurel, I’ve been looking into answers for two years now!” Spartan exploded.

“Because you’ve been doing it alone. Now you have me, and Ollie and Thea. We will help you.” Black Canary promised.

At that moment, Diggle’s phone went off. Digging it out, he looked at it before his eyes widened. Then he smirked.

“Come on, I know where Double Down is.” Diggle said before he and Laurel as they began walking down the street.

“How?” Black Canary asked stunned.

“A little help from Argus.” Spartan said briefly.

Nanda Parbat  
Later

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Thea asked as Oliver readied himself for his fight with Malcolm, “I mean, I don’t care if you kill him but you do.”

“I’m making an exception this time,” Oliver growled as he picked up a sword, “he killed Tommy and dad, Sara is dead because of him, he sentenced me to five years of hell, and now he’s making you kill. How much more is he gonna do before we stop him for good? Enough is enough Thea.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were sure.” Thea said as they walked into the throne room.

The entire League was there to witness, including Nyssa who was chained. Malcolm stood in the center of a circle, looking calm. Oliver walked forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Thea stood back, watching her brother worriedly.

“Last chance to back out Oliver.” Malcolm warned.

“And allow you to abuse your power anymore? No, enough is enough, you die today Malcolm.” Oliver said before drawing his sword. 

Malcolm did as well and the rushed each other. Their swords clashed before they drew back. It was like watching lightning; you had to pay close attention. With lightning speed, the two combatants clashed swords again and again, neither seeming able to get footing against the other. Then, Malcolm kicked Oliver in his leg and Oliver went down. Thea cried out as Malcolm brought his sword down on Oliver but Oliver brought his up, blocking it. Then Oliver swept Malcolm’s feet out from under him, causing him to fall. Oliver jumped, trying to take off Malcolm’s head with his sword, but Malcolm brought his sword up to block him.

“You’ll have to do better than that.” Malcolm told him.

“I haven’t even gotten started.” Oliver growled. 

The two shot back to their feet and reentered their sword duel. It continued as it had before for a few moments before it changed. Oliver feigned like he was going to clash against Malcolm’s sword again when, at the last second, he changed direction. He brought his sword down on Malcolm’s sword hand and Malcolm could only watch as his hand was cut off. Malcolm screamed in pain as his sword and hand both clattered to the floor, the assassins watching in horror, Nyssa watching in excitement, and Thea watching with a mixture of both. Malcolm looked up just as Oliver drove the sword through his chest. Malcolm gasped in pain and Oliver stared at him stonily before Oliver twisted the sword. Malcolm was dead before Oliver pulled out the sword.

Everyone stared in shock before the assassins all knelled before Oliver, Nyssa being forced to do so. Although the al Ghul was only too happy to do so, considering Malcolm was dead. Oliver stared at Malcom’s body for a moment before walking over to the served hand. Kneeling down, Oliver picked it up before pulling off Ra’s ring. Throwing the hand to the ground, Oliver stood up as he stared at the ring, thinking.

Star City  
Same time

Black Canary and Spartan stood still as the car approached them. Black Canary screamed and the windows shattered as the driver lost control of the car. They both jumped out of the way as it drove towards them and stopped a few feet from them. The door opened and Double Down got out. 

“You two must be a special kind of stupid. I was gonna blow town, call it a draw.” Double down told them.

“Not until you tell us about your employer.” Black Canary told him.

Double down pulled off two more cards and threw it at them. Black Canary took out her batons and used them to block the cards as Spartan took out a gun. He fired and a bullet capsule came out and turned into a cable that wrapped around Double Down’s arms. 

“Where’s Hive, who’s behind the Ghosts?! Tell me!” Spartan demanded.

“You know your problem? You don’t scar me half as much as he does.” Double down said before making his move.

A card came off his chest and soared towards Spartan. Black Canary jumped in the way took it in the shoulder. As she went down to the ground, Spartan ran over and punched Double Down in the face, knocking him out cold. Spartan then ran over to Black Canary and helped her up, Black Canary wincing as he did.

“You alright?” Spartan asked concerned.

“I’ll live.” She assured him.

Arrow Lair, next day  
Morning

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Diggle asked Laurel as she messaged her wounded shoulder.

“I’ll be fine, for the fifth time. I already have a boyfriend and you’re married John.” Laurel teased and he laughed.

“Man, I can’t remember the last time I laughed,” Diggle mused before getting serious, “look, I’m sorry for not telling you about Fayad. I should have and I won’t keep a secret from the team again. We can’t afford to.” 

“Right.” Laurel said uncomfortably as she thought of her own secret.

Nanda Parbat  
Afternoon

“We’ll be back by tomorrow morning, I’ll explain everything then.” Oliver promised Laurel on the phone.

“But the trip was a bust?” Laurel asked him.

“Yeah, should have known better than to trust Malcolm.” Oliver grumbled.

“Well, I see when you get here. I got to get back to work. I love you.” Laurel told him.

“I love you to.” Oliver said as he hung up.

“You did not tell her about Malcolm.” Nyssa noted as she walked up behind him.

“That’s face to face news,” Oliver said as he turned around, “what happened that made you destroy the pit? Tell me.”

“Ask Laurel. It is her secret to tell. Just know that whatever happens, it is on her hands.” Nyssa said grimly.

“Well that inspires warm fuzzies all around,” Oliver muttered before reaching inside his jacket pocket, “before Thea and I leave, there’s one last piece of business to take care of.”

Oliver pulls out the ring of Ra’s and they both stare at it for a moment. Then Oliver holds it out to Nyssa and she takes it. Nyssa puts the ring on and Oliver nods at her before walking out of the room. Thea waits for him outside the room.

“Time to go home.” Oliver told her.


	5. Rogue officers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow discover that a crew of corrupt police officers are using their resources to control the streets, so they enlist Quentin for help. Meanwhile, Oliver and Laurel discover something shocking about Quentin.

Star City  
Morning

“I’m guessing he didn’t tell you why we’re here either?” Thea asked as Diggle walked into the dusty building.

“No, he just had a perma grin on his face the whole way here. Said he had some big announcement.” Diggle said as Oliver and Laurel walked in behind him.

“So, what is this big announcement Ollie? And why are you telling us here?” Thea asked as she gestured to the dust filled building.

“Do you remember this building? Two years ago, it was Sabastian Blood’s campaign office and now it’s mine,” Oliver said and Diggle and Thea just give him and Laurel blank looks, “everyone who’s qualified is too scared to run and rightfully so. But I can defend myself. So, I’m running for mayor.”

Thinking he was joking, Thea laughed. Oliver frowned and Laurel shook her head at Thea as she gave the younger woman and Diggle a significant look. 

“Oh, you’re serious!” Diggle said surprised.

“Yes! The other week, Lance was saying that the city needs someone to stand up who isn’t hiding behind a mask. It needs a leading.” Oliver said slightly irritated.

“But why does that person have to be you?” Diggle interjected, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, but you’re not a politician.”

“Maybe that’s the best reason for me to be elected.” Oliver argued back.

“What about a staff or campaign manager or money?” Thea asked.

“Money is already taken care of. Palmer Tech has funded enough to kick start the campaign and I’m working on the rest out.” Oliver assured her.

“What platform are you gonna run under?” Diggle inquired.

“I’ll figure it out.” Oliver said nonchalantly.

“What qualifies you to be mayor?” Thea asked.

“I care about the city.” Oliver said exasperated.

“Guys, how about a little more support here,” Laurel interjected before this could continue, “I admit, I was thrown to when Ollie told me, but I think it’s a good idea.”

“It’s not that we’re not supportive, but we want to make sure you’re not in over your head.” Diggle said somewhat apologetically.

“Maybe you’ll like this part of the announcement better.” Oliver muttered as he walked over to a wall. 

The rest of the team followed him as Oliver pushes something on the wall. Diggle and Thea watch in amazement as the wall opens up to reveal an elevator. The four of them enter it and the doors close behind them before the elevator started moving. 

“There’s a reason I bought Blood’s campaign office,” Oliver revealed and Diggle and Thea looked over at him, “Blood also needed his own base of operations.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Team arrow got off and Oliver pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The lights came on and Thea and Diggle looked around in amazement.

“Oliver, how did you…” Diggle isn’t even able to finish as he takes it all in.

“From Cisco and Star Labs.” Laurel interjected.

“Four polycarbonate cases, each keyed to our own biometrics.” Oliver explained as he led them over to a four row case that held each of their uniforms.

“Wow,” Diggle looked around stunned, “Oliver this is amazing!”

“Well, I set up shop in the foundry, it was just me. That’s not the case anymore so I figured we could use a little more space.” Oliver explained.

A beep goes off and they all turn to the computer. A red triangle was on the screen as it displayed a map of the city.

“What’s that?” Diggle inquired as Oliver had a look.

“It’s a program Cisco set up. Basically, we’ve got the feed of Police services so that if anything happens in the city, we’ll know,” Oliver explained as the information came up on the screen, “two detectives were found shot to death responding to a code three. They didn’t call for back up so they were either ambushed when they arrived or their comms failed.”

“Thea and I will do recon.” Diggle said as the two moved out.

“Laurel, maybe you should check with your dad.” Oliver suggested and she nodded.

“We might want to wait to tell him about you running for mayor. Pretty sure we’re not gonna have his vote.” Laurel said as she quickly kissed him before walking off.

Star City Police department  
Afternoon 

“You spend more time here than when you were little.” Quentin remarked as he turned around to see Laurel standing behind him.

"you got a minute?" Laurel asked.

“Sure,” Quentin said as he led his daughter into his office, “so, what is it now?”

“We wanted to help with that.” Laurel said as she gestured to the bag of evidence in her father’s hand.

“I wouldn’t know City Hall has cut my budget so tight that I can’t get evidence turned around before I’m eighty. Just do what you guys do.” Quentin said as he handed Laurel the evidence.

“Thanks. I’m, gonna give this to Ollie…and then we need to talk.” Laurel told him trying not to show how nervous she was. 

Palmer Tech  
Night

“Mr. Holt, we need to have a talk.” Oliver said as he walked in to Holt’s office.

“About what Mr. Queen?” Holt asked as he turned around to face Oliver.

“Do you know anything about is?” Oliver asked as he handed Holt his phone.

“It’s code…from about three years ago. No, why?” Holt asked as he handed Oliver his phone back his phone.

“Because it’s been cluttering up my phone for the past few days since I got back to town. I know enough about computers to figure out the code is from Palmer Tech.” Oliver explained as he looked down at his phone.

“And you think I did it?” Holt asked in disbelief.

“Well someone certainly decided to prank me. If it wasn’t you, then who Mr. Holt?” Oliver demanded.

“I’m not sure sir, but it wasn’t me. Though it is elegant...and familiar,” Holt said as he walked over to his computer, where one of Ray’s suit arms was sitting, “I was going through some of Mr. Palmer’s old prototypes and I found this.”

“That was Ray’s.” Oliver said blankly.

“Yes and it has code that is almost identical to what’s on your phone. The question is why is Mr. Palmer’s old prototype sending you texts on your phone,” Holt asked before a beeping went off, “I see. It looks like Mr. Palmer computer to the local company network. He even created crash log to record his voice right before a fatal malfunction. Mr. Palmer’s last recorded statement could shed some light on how he died.”

“We already know how he died; his suit malfunctioned and killed him. Let the man rest in peace,” Oliver said firmly and Holt nodded as Oliver pulled out a microchip, “I was also hoping you could tell me what this is.”

“Hmm,” Holt took the microchip and examined it, “it’s a SIM card. Looks like it came from a walkie talkie. A walkie talkie with a GPS.”

“Can you track it?” Oliver inquired.

“Maybe, but I can definitely figure out where it’s been.” Holt told him.

Star City  
Later

“Fifth floor is clear.” Green Arrow said over the comms.

“This place is completely empty.” Speedy told him.

“I think I’ve found something, third floor.” Spartan warned them.

“Headed your way.” Green Arrow told him.

It didn’t take the two archers long to reach him. Spartan was standing I front of a door when they reached him.

“Every door in this place is opened or locked. Except for this one.” Spartan explained.

Nodding, Green arrow kicked the door open and they entered cautiously as they drew their weapons. No one was there, but it wasn’t empty. There was a rank of clothes and some cabinets full of weapons. The trio moved about and started checking it all out.

“M4s, Kevlar, Flash grenades. Some of this stuff is military grade.” Spartan noted.

“Do you think we found The Ghosts lair?” Speedy asked but Green Arrow shook his head.

“No,” he said as he pulled a vest of the clothes rake and showed them what was on it, “Star City  
Police Department. Whoever killed those detectives were police officers.”

Elsewhere in Star City  
Same time

“Alright, I’ll bite. What are we doing down here?” Quentin asked as Laurel led him into the basement of her old apartment.

“It’s better if I just show you,” Laurel said as she turned on the lights, “after what happened between us last year, I swore I would never keep secrets from you again. But I’ve been keeping one from you for a while now.”

Quentin was about to ask her what when he got the shock of his life. They rounded the corner and Quentin stepped back in shock as his daughter Sara lunged at him savagely, acting like an animal. Quentin stared at his feral daughter in shock.

“How-how is this even possible?” Quentin asked once he found his voice.

“The League of Assassins. They have something called the Lazarus Pit; it can bring someone back from the dead.” Laurel explained.

“Back from-Laurel, look at her. This isn’t back Laurel. This is-this isn’t my baby.” Quentin muttered.

“She’s alive dad, your daughter is alive.” Laurel insisted.

“This isn’t my daughter.” Quentin muttered as he saw Sara struggle.

“Daddy, it is. She’s just been gone for a really long time. She’ll remember who she is, we just have to be patient” Laurel attempted to convince him.

Laurel walked forward and sat down in front of her sister. Sara simply stared at Laurel, no recognition on her face. Laurel pulled out a picture of the three of them before she attempted to speak.

“Do you remember me? I’m Laurel, your sister. See,” Laurel asked as she held up the picture, “this is me and this is you. And who’s that, is that daddy? We’re your family, we love you?”

“Who am I?” Sara asked in a hollow tone.

Smiling, Laurel turns around to see a similar smile on her father’s face.

“You see, she’s speaking because she’s remembering.” Laurel told him.

In the next moment, the smile was wiped off both their faces. Sara lunged for her, putting the chains over Laurel’s throat and choking her. Quentin quickly rushed forward and pried Sara off Laurel before dragging his eldest a safe distance away.

“You okay?” Quentin asked concerned.

“Yeah, she just needs more time dad.” Laurel said but the denial sounded weak even to her own ears.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“I guess you better add ‘get an entirely new police force’ to your campaign.” Thea muttered.

“It’s not the entire force but…yeah; we don’t know who’s been compromised.” Oliver admitted.

“Except Captain Lance.” Quentin pointed out.

“Captain Lance isn’t answering my calls, so we’re on our own right now,” Oliver said he as sat down at the computer and started typing just as the lights flickered, “Cisco and I are still working out some of the kinks. Anyway, in the last few months, there has been a huge spike in gangs stealing from other gangs.”

“But it’s not gangs, it’s these bad cops.” Diggle pointed out.

“Yeah, and they steal the drugs to sell them to the Gangbangers they stole them from. These cops are taking down big drug scores, so let’s give them one.” Oliver said as he stood up.

“How?” Thea asked.

“That depends how close you are with your former drug dealer.” Oliver told her.

“Which one?” Thea smirked and Oliver managed to suppress his displeasure.

“Doesn’t matter, call one.” Oliver ordered.

Star City Police Department  
Later  
Quentin was at his desk, looking at a picture of Sara and Laurel when the door to his office opened. Looking up, Quentin almost groaned in displeasure as Oliver closed the door behind him.

“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.” Oliver said as he sat down.

“I’ve been busy, what do you want?” Quentin demanded.

“Your detectives weren’t killed by gang violence, they were killed by cops.” Oliver said bluntly and Quentin looked at him sharply.

“What?” Quentin growled.

“The SIMs card you gave us, it led us to the killers’ armory and the equipment, the weapons, it was all SCPD issued.” Oliver explained and Quentin shook his head in shock.

“Who is it?” Quentin asked.

“It could be anyone in the department. These guys have been taking down drug busts, so Thea’s procuring a couple of kilos of cocaine,” Oliver said and Quentin scoffed, “we’re keeping it in a warehouse on Meldrum. I need you to subtly get the word out.”

“Okay,” Quentin exhales and Oliver stands up, “wait. I want to be there when they show.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Oliver noted.

“Well I’m not sure I give a damn. If I have bad cops in my precinct, I want to be there to bust them.” Quentin snarled as he stands up. 

Star City  
Later

Green Arrow and Black Canary stood in the shadows, watching as a car approached Diggle and Thea. Green arrow tapped his comms.

“Captain Lance.” He began.

“What, I don’t get a code name like the rest of you?” Quentin asked sarcastically and Green Arrow sighed.

“Detective, get ready.” Green Arrow ordered.

The truck pulls up and immediately starts firing. Quentin and Diggle return fire as Green Arrow grabs Black Canary around the waist and fires an arrow, using it like a swing to get them to a closer vantage point. Black Canary uses her Canary Cry on an Officer but the officer turns around and uses some rode and the device on her neck suddenly stops working. Green Arrow rushes in and starts a physical fight. He seems to have the advance but Green arrow becomes distracted when he sees Black Canary struck across the face and knocked to the ground. This costs him, as another cop sneaks up behind him and fires. It only hits him in the shoulder but it allows the other cop to knock him to the ground.

Green Arrow looks up just as the cops get in the truck and ride off with the two trucks. He and his team stand up as Quentin rushes towards them.

“You okay?” Green arrow asked.

“The training, the equipment. Those were cops. And no, I’m not okay.” Quentin told him agitated. 

Arrow Lair  
Later

“You have got to be kidding me!” Quentin exclaimed as they arrived back at the lair, “no wonder there’s corruption on the force, everyone else has better resources.”

“I don’t know, Laurel interjected, “those ESU had some pretty fancy toys, definitely not standard police issue.”

“They police issued alright, just not standard,” Quentin said and they all turned to him, “those were specialized anti-vigilante task force gear.”

“I thought the task force was disband.” Oliver pointed out.

“Yeah, I might’ve reinstated them, uh, last year.” Quentin said awkwardly.

“How many?” Oliver demanded.

“About forty or so.” Quentin told him.

“Well, that narrows it down a bit.” Laurel tried to be optimistic.

“We should try their conduct records, should narrow things down a bit more.” Oliver said as he turned to the computer.

Before he could touch them, the lights flickered and the computers went down. Oliver sighed in frustration.

“Looks like it might take a while.” Oliver said tiredly.

“I can give you unrestricted access to the department’s computer network,” Quentin offered and they looked over at him, “might speed things up a little. I’ll see what I can dig up at the precinct.” 

Quentin’s apartment  
Later

“So did you find anything?” Laurel asked as she and Quentin walked inside his apartment.

“No. Does Queen know about Sara?” Quentin asked and Laurel hesitated, giving him his answer, “I may not like him, but you do. If you don’t tell him, your relationship may explode around you baby.”

Laurel phone started ringing and she dug it out, seeing Oliver’s name on the screen. Laurel turned away from him as she answered it.

“Hey, did you find anything?” Laurel asked.

“Yeah, but that’s not why I’m calling. I’m gonna send you a picture and you’re not gonna like what’s on it.” Oliver told her.

Her phone beeped and Laurel pulled it away from her face to see what Oliver had sent her. She froze as she stared at the picture of her father talking to Damien Darhk. She looked over at her father, stunned, as she put the phone back to her ear.

“Are you sure about this?” Laurel asked as Quentin watched her confused.

“Absolutely.” Oliver said confidently.

Thanks,” Laurel said as she hung up, “you’re a hypocrite dad.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Quentin demanded.

“Standing here, lecturing me about secrets while you are working with Damien Darhk,” Laurel hissed and Quentin paled, “I didn’t want to believe it, that you knew who this man is,, but I can tell just by the look on your face.”

“It’s complicated baby.” Quentin said but Laurel shook her head.

“No, it’s simple. Do you have any idea what he’s done, how many people he’s killed?” Laurel snarled.

“I probably have more of an idea than you and you are dating Oliver Queen, you don’t get to judge me?!” Quentin snapped but Laurel was not affected.

“You always acted like you were better than him, that you were more righteous and even Oliver believed you were. But he was wrong about you, and so was I. How long?” Laurel demanded.

“About two months. It started out benign. He said he had resources, people, money, he held himself out as just another guy who wanted to help this city, and we needed help,” Quentin held a hand to his face and took a deep breath, “by the time I figured out who he was, what he was, that’s when he threatened you baby.”

“I can take care of myself, you know I can.” Laurel said firmly.

“That’s what I thought about Sara to.” Quentin said and Laurel had had enough.

“Stop it! Stop using me and Sara to justify your actions! For the first time, I am ashamed to call myself your daughter!” Laurel snarled and Quentin looked gutted, “you know Ollie is running for mayor and I think you’re one of the reasons why! He has always admired you and wanted you to see him for who he really is. But you don’t, you never have, because you’re too caught up in yourself. I never thought the day would come when he was a better man than you.”

“What are you gonna do?” Quentin asked softly as Laurel moved to leave.

“I don’t know but right now…I can’t stand the sight of you.” Laurel said as she stormed out.

Oliver’s campaign office, next day  
Early morning

“You okay?” Laurel asked as she saw Oliver sitting in the dark in his office.

“No,” Oliver said blankly as she sat next to him, “you know, I wanted to run for mayor because of the way I remembered it as a kid. But…I’m not sure that city exists anymore.”

“If this is about my father, don’t make it about him,” Laurel said and he looked over at her, “one thing I have learned from you over the last few years is that we are not defined by our families. Don’t let my father’s bad decision take away what you love about this city. The man I love is better than that.”

“How is it that you can have hope even in the darkest of times?” Oliver asked her curiously.

“Because this city needs hope. The Green Arrow is a beacon of hope for this city; I guess I need to be his.” Laurel told him and he laughed lightly.

“You are truly amazing, you know that?” Oliver said as he looked at her in awe.

“I know but it wouldn’t hurt to hear it a bit more.” Laurel teased as they leaned in and kissed. 

Apartment complex, basement,  
Afternoon 

Laurel walked down the stairs to see something shocking: her father, standing shakily as he held a gun, pointed at Sara. Laurel rushed forward at knocked the gun out of his hand and he looked over at her, shock and emotion on his face.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Laurel snarled.

“Putting her out of her misery. Don’t you see, she’s not Sara anymore?!” Quentin shouted and Laurel could see the emotion on his face.

Sara looked up at him and Quentin broke down. He fell to his knees sobbing and Laurel, despite her anger at him, couldn’t help but kneel down and hug him. 

“It’s okay daddy, it’s okay.” Laurel said as he sobbed.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry.” Quentin said before standing up and rushing out.

Laurel stared after him for a moment before standing up. After making sure Sara was okay, she followed him. Looking for him, she was shocked to see officers leading him away. She tried to follow them but an officer attacked her. She handled herself fine but they ganged up on her and was tazed.

Arrow Lair  
Night

“We need to find my father.” Laurel paced back and forth as Oliver tried to work around the glitches in the lair.

“I’m working on it but it’s not easy. I think I got something, your father’s ID was used to access the SCPD’s contraband facility three minutes ago.” Oliver said as he stood up.

“Let’s go to work then.” Diggle ordered.

Star City  
Later

Black Canary walked up behind an officer and he turns around, using the device from earlier. But She just smirked before screaming, sending him flying back into the truck.

“New frequency, same cry.” She said.

Green Arrow stood on a ledge and he fired an arrow at two officers. One of the arrows got one of the officers in the shoulder, sending him to the ground as the other one whirled around.

“Sergeant Werner, you have failed this city.” He told her before firing at her.

She simply raised her arm which he has some sort of weapon it. It fires and knocks the arrow back.

“Is that all you got?” she asked arrogantly.

“Nope.” Green Arrow said before he jumped down to the floor.

He fired an arrow, which exploded into iron cables. They wrap around Werner and pin her to a fence. Green Arrow walked into another part of the facility and, seeing Quentin handcuffed to a pole. He pulls out another arrow and fires. Quentin is freed as his handcuffs break and he removes the rest of the cuffs as the archer stared at him stonily.

“Get out of here.” Green Arrow ordered coolly.

As Quentin turned to leave, Green Arrow felt something behind him. Whirling around, he used the bow to knock the knife from Werner’s hands. Quentin whirled around and Werner backed up as Green Arrow notched another arrow.

“Hands up Liza or else you’ll be a criminal and you told me you weren’t.” Quentin reminded her.

“I also told you I was desperate.” Werner reminded him not taking her eyes off Green Arrow.

“We all are. Living in this city, dealing with what we’re dealing with, we’ve all done desperate things…terrible things,” Quentin paused before continuing, “but I gotta believe we are not beyond redemption. I gotta believe this city can still be saved because when we stop believing in that, that’s when this city dies. And us, us right along with it. And maybe, just maybe, we start saving our home by saving ourselves first. And that means facing up to what we’ve done, facing justice. You put on that uniform because you believe in justice, ask yourself Werner, is that still the case?”

The rest of Team Arrow, who had come up during Quentin’s speech, watched as silence stretched on between the three of them. Then, Werner held up her hands in surrender.

“Do what you gotta do.” She told him.

Green arrow lowered his bow as Quentin walked up to her, putting her in handcuffs.

“I guess you know your Miranda rights.” Quentin said sarcastically. 

Quentin’s apartment, next day  
Early morning

“I never knew you had such a way with words.” Oliver said as Quentin walked inside his apartment

“I don’t do encores.” Quentin quipped as he sat down.

“Do you believe what you said?” Oliver inquired.

“Yeah, I do. Especially the part about facing justice. When police headquarters opens, I will be turning myself in.” Quentin promised.

“I can’t have you do that,” Oliver said and Quentin looked up at him curiously, “we haven’t been able to get close to Darhk, you have. I’d like you to stick around, work on the inside.”

“Wow,” Quentin breathed as he stood up, “that’s only a smart plan if you can trust me.”

“I trust the man who said we can’t stop believing we can save this city.” Oliver said as he held out his hand to Quentin.

Quentin stared at it silently for a moment before he took it.

Star City  
Afternoon

“United. That’s what this city used to be. It’s what it can be and it’s what must be again,” Oliver began as the cameras started rolling, “I know I’m not the obvious choice for Mayor. I’m not a politician, I signed away my family’s company, I didn’t even finish college. Although, it my defense, I did go to four of them,” Oliver joked and there was a slight snicker from around, the room, “I certainly don’t have a traditional background in leadership but what I can tell you is this: after five years in hell, I returned home with one goal. I wanted to save my city. And with your help, I can. With your help, we can restore this city to the shinning beacon we know it can be. How we’re gonna get there isn’t a mystery. We will overcome our challenged with help from our friends, our families, our loved ones,” Oliver looked over at a beaming Thea and Laurel before his gaze looked over at a smiling Diggle before he continued, “those we trust and those we need to trust again because the only way we will return our city to greatness is together. United.”

The crows erupted into applause and cheers.

Apartment complex, basement  
Late afternoon

Laurel walked down into the basement, a plate of food for Sara in her hands. But when she turned on the lights, the only thing there was a pile of chains surrounded by pictures.


	6. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel's lies come into the light as Sara escapes and goes on a killing spree. Oliver calls an old friend for help with saving Sara''s soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this will be the last chapter for this story until I can gain access to the next episode of season four. Which a lot of you will probably hate me for, considering how this chapter ends.

Star City  
Night

“Sara got out, didn’t she?” Quentin asked as he walked away from the witness and towards Laurel, “same story as the last three nights. A blonde woman attacked this girl but I didn’t know what to make of it until tonight. She said she spoke in middle-eastern. Have you told Queen?”

“No,” Laurel said and Quentin scoffed, “I know he’d see it the same way you would: that it’s not Sara anymore, it’s just something that needs to be put down.”

“This is my daughter we’re talking about.” Quentin snarled.

“Then why did I find you with a gun aimed at her head.” Laurel snapped immediately feeling guilty for the low blow.

“I’m not proud of that but now people are dying. Maybe if I had pulled the trigger, they wouldn’t be.” Quentin told her.

“I’m gonna go find Sara and hopefully I find her before you or Oliver.” Laurel snapped as she whirled around and started to walk away.

“Laurel,” Quentin’s voice stopped her, “one way or another, you know Queen is gonna find out. And a Sara shaped grenade is gonna get launched into your relationship when he does. It’ll be better if he finds out from you than another way.”

Arrow Lair  
Later

I’m considering firing the political strategist,” Oliver said as he and Thea spared with eskrima sticks, “he wants me to break up with Laurel for my campaign.”

“Yeah, maybe he was a little harsh,” Thea said as she and Oliver stepped back, “but he’s really good at his job, don’t fire him.” 

Before Oliver could respond, a beeping went off. Oliver walked over to the computers and checked out what was wrong. He straightened up as he saw the problem.

“There’s a code forty-seven at a night club on ninth. A blonde woman is causing quite a bit of trouble, might be our blonde murderess. Let’s suit up.” Oliver ordered.

Night club  
Later

Black Canary ran up behind Sara as she was about to go after a Burnette on the floor. Tackling Sara from behind, she wrestled her sister to the ground and put her side baton to her throat, restraining.

“Run!” Black Canary shouted at the woman and she didn’t need to be told twice.

Sara pried the side baton from her sister’s grasp and jumped up. She was about to bring it down on Black Canary’s head when an arrow soared through the air and knocked it out of her hand. Sara turned back and Green Arrow lowered his bow in shock.

“Sara.” He breathed.

Sara snarled before she turned and ran. Green Arrow and Speedy were too stunned to even move as Sara jumped over a fence and disappeared into the night.

“You saw that right?” Speedy asked still stunned.

Green Arrow nodded slowly before looking over at Black Canary. Noting the lack of shock on her face, he realized she knew. She knew about Sara.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“How long?” Oliver asked curtly as he put his bow back in its place on the display case.

“A few weeks after Ra’s.” Laurel said as they stood alone in the lair.

“Over four months then. And the bloodlust is worse because you brought her back from death?” Oliver asked and she nodded.

“And that’s not the only problem, she’s not herself. She’s different.” Laurel explained.

“Why didn’t you come to me with this?” Oliver demanded.

“For what, your expertise on magical resurrections or that judgmental look on your face?” Laurel asked defensively.

“For help finding her Laurel before she gets hurt or she hurts someone else!” Oliver snapped and Laurel winced a little, “and if I have a judgmental look on my face, it’s because you played with forces you can’t control and now people are dying because of it!”

Oliver then stormed off, trying not to lash out at her. There would be time to argue later, now they had to find Sara. Oliver walked into the lower levels as the car entrance opened up and a police cruiser drove in, the entrance closing behind it. The driver’s door opened and Quentin got out.

“We need to talk.” Quentin said as he walked over to him.

“About Sara?” Oliver asked blankly.

“So she told you?” Quentin asked.

“Not exactly.’ Oliver said and Quentin scoffed.

“Well you gotta admire her consistency. She keeps the death secret from me and the resurrection secret from you?” Quentin asked his voice full of frustration as he walked passed Oliver.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked as he followed Quentin.

“I think there are certain situations where the word ‘okay does not apply, this being one!” Quentin ranted.

“We’re gonna find Sara.” Oliver assured him.

“Good, because we got bigger problems.” Quentin said as he held out a small, silver rectangle shape.

“What’s this?” Oliver asked as he took it.

“Something Darhk wants me to deliver.” Quentin said as he opened it to reveal a flash drive.

The pair walked over to the computer and Oliver put it into the computer. Pulling it up, Oliver and Quentin stared at the data on the screen for several moments before Oliver spoke.

“I recognize this from my time at Argus,” Oliver said and Quentin looked over at him puzzled, “Long story. Basically, it’s a computer virus designed to target and delete certain pieces of information. This is Argus level encryption, I can’t crack it and even if I could, it would take too long.”

“And in the meantime, Darhk would be wondering why I haven’t made his delivery.”

“I’m not sending you to break into a federal facility without backup,” Oliver said he dialed a number on his phone and put it to his ear, “John, I need a favor.”

Oliver and Laurel’s apartment  
Later

“What are you doing?” Laurel asked cautiously as she approached Olivero on the couch, on his laptop.

“Looking for a connection between Sara’s victims.” Oliver said curtly without looking up.

“Any luck?” Laurel asked.

“No.” Oliver said shortly.

“Ollie…I know you’re mad.” Laurel said.

“You’re damn right I’m mad,” Oliver put the laptop on the table before standing up with an angry look on his face, “I thought we were in an honest relationship. I thought for once, the secrets and lies I had lived by for nine years were done. But I was wrong, seeing as two weeks into our relationship, you started lying to me.”

“I thought if anyone would understand why I did this, it would be you.” Laurel said angrily.

“That’s the thing Laurel: I do understand why you did this,” Oliver said and Laurel looked at him in disbelief, “not a day goes by I do not miss my parents, Tommy. And I would give almost anything to have them back. But this isn’t Sara Laurel; you were there when Thea came out of the pit. It wore off in a few days, didn’t it seem strange to you how Sara stayed like this for months? And how many people were you going to let die before you came clean? Because you didn’t just lie to me, I’d be less mad if you had. No, you lied to Thea and Diggle to. You…”

Oliver suddenly trailed off and a look of realization crossed his face. Laurel, who feeling the weight of the truths crash down on her, watched puzzled as he went back to his laptop and started typing.

“Ollie, what is it?” Laurel asked.

“I figured out the connection,” Oliver said as he turned the screen towards her so she could see a picture of the two victims side by side, “who do they both look like?”

“Thea.” Laurel said as a pit of dread settled in her stomach.

Thea’s apartment  
Later

Oliver and Laurel rushed through the door and started up the stairs when they saw Thea. She was slumped against a wall, unconscious. Oliver kneeled own next to her, checking her over.

Star City Hospital, next day  
Late afternoon

“Why would Sara go after Thea?” Laurel as asked Oliver as they stood outside the hospital room.

“I talked to Nyssa. Anyone who comes out of the pit will feel the impulse to kill, specifically the person who killed them. And Thea is technically the one who fired the arrows that killed Sara.” Oliver explained as he ran a hand over his face. 

“My god…this is all fault.” Laurel said.

“Yes, it is your fault,” Oliver snapped, his anger over what happened to his sister overshadowing his need to comfort her, “Nyssa warned you not to do this. When I was in Nanda Parbat, she told me that whatever happens was on you, but I couldn’t even have imagined this. Sara has killed four people, attacked Thea and two others and we have no idea where she is. Do you finally understand what you have done?!”

Before Laurel could respond, a noise came from inside Thea’s room. Their argument forgotten, Oliver and Laurel burst into the room to see Sara strangling Thea. Sara looked over at them and tossed Thea to the ground before jumping out the window. Oliver checked on Thea, making sure she was alright before looking over at Laurel with concerned eyes.

Arrow Lair  
Night 

“You sure you want to be here?” Diggle Thea as the four of them sat down around the table.

“I hated hospitals before all this. Now it’s just another excuse to stay away.” Thea said tiredly.

“At the hospital, I looked Sara in the eyes. She wasn’t there.” Oliver said.

“What do you mean?” Diggle asked as they all looked over at him.

“The pit was designed to work on the living, not the dead. It restored her body but all this is happening-”

“Because it didn’t restore her soul.” Laurel realized and Oliver nodded.

“We still need to find her. Sara was dead long before you moved into your apartment and she knew exactly which hospital room you were in.” Oliver pointed.

“You think Sara can sense Thea somehow?” Laurel asked.

“We were both in the pit maybe that links us somehow.” Thea guessed.

“And here I was just wrapping my head around Metahumans.” Diggle shook his head.

“Maybe we can use this connection somehow.” Thea suggested.

“Thea, you just got out of the hospital, I don’t want to use you that way.” Oliver told her.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re not in charge anymore.” Thea said as she looked over at Diggle.

“We’ll have her back, all of us.” Diggle said and Oliver nodded reluctantly. 

Verdant  
Later 

“I have to say it feels really weird being back here right now.” Thea mentioned as she walked down the stairs.

“Don’t worry, everyone’ in position.” Green Arrow assured her over the coms.

“It’s nothing. To tell the truth, I don’t think this is gonna actually work.” Thea admitted. 

As if to prove her wrong, one of the windows shattered as Sara jumped through it. Sara landed a few feet from Thea and looked at her hungrily.

“Or maybe not.” Thea said before Sara lunged at her.

Thea thrown against the stairs as Green Arrow and Black Canary came out of their hiding spots. Spartan got Thea out of their as Green Arrow and Black Canary engaged Sara. Sara attacked Green Arrow savagely and he held back as not to hurt her. He was thrown into an old wooden post and when he emerged, Black Canary had a gun out, about to shoot Sara. Acting fast, Green Arrow pulled out an arrow and fired. It shot Sara in the back and she went down.

“Tranq Arrow. He explained and she walked over to her.

“You were right, there’s nothing left inside of here.” Laurel said as she aimed the gun at Sara but Oliver grabbed her hand.

“Then let’s get it back. “ Oliver said and she looked at him confused as he pulled out a cell phone and dialed.

“Oliver.” A familiar voice answered.

“John.” Oliver greeted.

“It’s been a dog’s age mate.” Constantine noted.

“More than. Do you remember that favor you owe me?” Oliver asked. 

“I hardly expected you to forget that.” Constantine said.

“How quickly can you get to Star City? I need your help.” Oliver told him.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“So, you’re going to perform an exorcism on my sister?” Laurel asked as Team Arrow and Constantine stood over the unmoving Sara.

“No, an exorcism is the removal of a demonic possession. What your sister needs is a restitutionem, the restoration of her soul to her body.” Constantine explained.

“And you’ve done one of these before?” Thea asked.

“Once, about a year ago. But no worries, I’m sure it’s like riding a bike.” Constantine assured them.

“I’m sure we have a lot of work to do to prepare, I assume you brought the list?” Oliver asked and Constantine pulled out the list.

“Apologies mate; I didn’t have time to translate that from its original Aramaic. You know, if I knew you were surrounded by so many pretty girls Oliver, I would have stopped by sooner.” Constantine said as he looked from Laurel to Thea.

“Dig, get this to Lyla, have her use Argus to translate it.” Oliver said as he gave Diggle the list before he and Constantine walked off.

Later, Constantine prepared the ritual as Team Arrow, plus Quentin, stood watching.

“Now, I’ve got enough juice to send myself and two of you to go the other realm and back, so.” Constantine left it up to them to decide.

“I think it should be me. I mean, I’m the whole reason she’s like this.” Thea stepped forward. 

“No offense love, but you’re not exactly bringing out the best in Sara right now are you?” Constantine pointed out.

“Laurel.” Oliver looked over at her and she nodded understanding what he meant. 

The two of them stepped forward and Oliver offered his hand to her.

“Oh, one more thing,” Constantine said and they turned to him, “whatever’s locked Sara’s soul away, it’s not gonna give it up without a fight. So be ready. Now, on with the show.”

Oliver and Laurel joined hands as Constantine began speaking lowly in a language none of them understood. The others looked around as the lights shorted out, the light in the lair the open flame near Sara’s head. Sara opened her eyes, revealing pure white as she thrashed around and the lair began to tremble, like an earthquake. Laurel called out for Oliver when something happened. They dropped hands as the three of them appeared in some sort of thrown room. Oliver and Laurel quickly noted they were in their vigilante gear. 

“Well, well I’ve had worse hangovers.” Constantine said cheerfully as he stood up.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Oliver asked.

Someone cried out and Laurel fled the room, despite protests from her companions. Oliver and Constantine followed after her but they ran through a door and ended up back where they started. 

“Well, this is new.” Oliver quipped.

The person, Sara, Oliver realized with a start, cried out again. Laurel moved to follow it but Constantine stopped her.

“Well I’m not gonna just stand here.” Laurel snapped.

“What we need is a tour guide.” Constantine said as he pulled out a zippo. 

He placed it on the ground before putting his hand over it. He began muttering so lowly that neither Oliver nor Laurel could understand what he was saying. Constantine stood up and the zippo floated into the air as it spun rapidly. Finally, it stopped as it pointed to one of the doors. Constantine pocketed the zippo and led them through the door. They found themselves in the room with the Lazarus pit. Two members of the League of Assassins moved to attack but Oliver was ready. He fired two arrows which incapacitated them. Laurel rushed over to Sara and started to pull her out as a cloaked man with a sword came in.

“Get to the pit, you need to work together to get her out. I’ll take care of our new friend.” Constantine told Oliver.

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice. Oliver put his bow down once he reached the pit and started to pull Sara by her free hand while Constantine began fighting the swordsmen. Oliver pulled Laurel up to the pit and, together, they pulled Sara out. 

The three of them were suddenly back in the lair. All the lights came back on as Oliver was hugged by Thea and Laurel by Quentin. They looked down at Sara, waiting. Then, Sara opened her eyes and sat up as Laurel got down on her knees and hugged her sister. Quentin then joined them and hugged both his daughter.

Oliver smiled slightly as he brought Thea closer to him and kissed her on the forehead. He was happy Sara was back, but things still needed to happen, Oliver thought as he eyed Laurel.

Oliver’s campaign office, next day  
Morning

Oliver and Thea were talking in his office when Laurel walked in. Thea, sensing the tension between them, stood up. 

“So, uh, I’m gonna give you two a chance to talk.” Thea said as she scurried out of there, closing the door behind her.

“You didn’t come home last night.” Laurel pointed out as she walked over to him.

“I’ve been busy.” Oliver said dismissively as he moved some papers around.

“You’re still mad.” Laurel said and Oliver shook his head.

“No, I’m disappointed. Not in you, in myself,” Oliver said and she looked at him confused, “almost every woman I’ve ever been with, I’ve ruined: Helena, McKenna, Sara. I ruined them all and I thought you were the exception. I was wrong, I ruined you to. You didn’t learn to keep secrets like this from your parents, so I can only assume it was my influence.”

“Ollie, I made my own choices. I messed up, I get it, but it was my fault, not yours.” Laurel told him.

“And I love you too much to ruin you any further.” Oliver said as if she hadn’t spoken and Laurel tensed.

“Ollie…what are you saying?” Laurel asked not sure she wanted to know.

“I’m saying…that I’m gonna stay with Thea for the next couple days.” Oliver told her and one could hear two hearts break at this.

“Ollie…” Laurel couldn’t even speak as her through was suddenly dry.

“I can’t change who I am, I can’t…but I refuse to ruin you.” Oliver said softly.

Oliver then kissed her softly on the forehead before walking passed her. Laurel did no move, standing there numbly as tears ran down her face. Oliver took one step after the other, each one like a knife to his heart, until he reached the door to his office. Oliver then pulled open the door and walked out, no one but those closest to him knowing the blank expression on his face was one he wore when he was in deep emotional pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, they broke up. Before you get your pitch forks, allow me to explain why this needed to happen. It seems to me that there is a double standard when it comes to secrets on this show. Usually when someone keeps a secret, they just get a slap on the wrist, usually a scolding, and everything is fine by the end of the episode. But if it’s Oliver that’s been keeping the secret, suddenly it’s a great sin to keep secrets. Well, this shows that there are consequences to keeping secrets.
> 
> And don’t worry, this won’t be like Olicity where they keep getting back together and breaking up or where they stayed broken up until the end of the story. It won’t be a long break up, but it’s a break up.


	7. Finding Ray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow learns that Ray is alive and in an interesting predicament. Meanwhile, Laurel deals with the fallout of her actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know it's been a while, but Netflix released season four of Arrow today, so my updates should be more frequent now.

Palmer Tech  
afternoon

"You wanted to see me Mr. Holt?" Oliver asked as he walked into the room.

"Yes!" Holt jumped up before leading Oliver over to his computer, "Look, I know you told me to stop digging but I kept looking into Mr. Palmer's last moments. I found something else, something after his death. listen."

Oliver waited, debating whether he should fire Holt for insubordination when something plaid that made his blood run cold.

"I'm alive and I'm in trouble." Ray's voice came over the speakers as it repeated.

"What the hell is this?" Oliver demanded.

"Mr. Palmer is alive. I've been trying to track him but I can't seem to pinpoint the message's point of origin. He must have bounced it of multiple servers and the algorithm." Holt explained and Oliver nodded.

"This is now your top priority. I don't want you to so much as sign a document until Ray is found. I'll pay you for overtime." Oliver ordered and Holt nodded.

Oliver and Laurel's loft  
same time

"Ollie, could you please call me back?" Laurel hung up the phone as Sara came into the room.

"He's still not taking your calls?" Sara asked and Laurel shook her head.

"Not taking my calls, not talking to me at the lair or during missions unless it relates to the mission at hand. It's like I don't exist." Laurel said distressed. 

"I'm sorry. You and Ollie would be fine right now if it weren't for me." Sara apologized and Laurel shook her head.

"No Sara, this isn't your fault. It's mine. I'm the one who chose not to tell Ollie about you being back. For months I lied to him, even when dad told me it would blow up in my face. You didn't do this, I did," Laurel sighed as she sat on the couch, "so how'd it go with mom?"

"Better than the last time she found out I wasn't dead," The sisters chuckled dryly, "She just told me this story about how I got lost walking home from school one day and promised how I'd always come back. But I can't remember."

"You're probably better off not remembering all the messed up things our parents did to us anyway." Laurel said and they both laughed.

"Laurel, don't give up on him," Sara said as she gave her sister an imploring look, "This is all happening because Ollie thinks he's bad for you. I broke up with him for the same reason, but you can learn from his mistake. He didn't fight for me, you can still fight for him."

Thea's apartment  
later in the afternoon

"So when are you are going to stop punishing Laurel for one mistake?" Thea asked Oliver.

"Is that what you think I'm doing, punishing her?" Oliver looked over at her with an angry look and Thea's retort died on her lips, "I broke up with her because I'm ruining her like I ruin every other woman I've been with. I refuse to do it anymore."

"What's that?" Thea asked as Oliver's phone went off.

"I set up an alert in case Holt's back trace program finished." Oliver said as he opened up his laptop.

At first, the picture was unclear. Then, it cleared up and they could see Ray's face. His hair was unkempt and he looked exhausted. He looked like Oliver on one of his early days on the island.

"Oliver? Oliver, is that you?" Ray asked.

"Ray, where are you?" Oliver demanded.

"I don't know but I'm being kept against my will. They want my suit, or at least the tech. Thankfully, the suit is useless to them in my current condition." Ray explained.

"Is the suit not working?" Thea asked.

"Actually, it worked a little too well." Ray explained as he looked around his prison.

Arrow Lair  
night

"So, Ray Palmer is the size of a tater tot?" Laurel asked skeptically.

"It's a long story involving some stuff none of us understand but Ray's suit shrunk him down to that size. He sent us a message but it looks like it was intercepted by whoever's holding him captive. He thinks that want his suit but they can't use it while there both small" Oliver explained.

"And while he's small, it's looking for a needle in a city of haystacks." Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

"Ray has something he thinks can help." Oliver said before playing the next part of the message.

"Back at Palmer Tech, I've got schematics for a machine that should be able to resize me." Ray said before Oliver re-paused the message. 

"I have one of my employees working on that, I'm gonna go check it out now." Oliver said as he stood up and walked passed Laurel.

"Ollie, we need to talk." Laurel said as she followed him.

"I don't have anything to say." Oliver said dismissively.

"Well I do," Laure said as she stepped in front of him, blocking his path, "I made a mistake when I didn't tell you about Sara, I admit that. But it was my decision, it had nothing to do with you. Be angry with me, hate me, whatever, but don't blame yourself for something I did. Okay?" 

"Okay." Oliver said lowly before brushing passed Laurel and over to elevator.

Palmer Tech  
later

"How's it coming Mr. Holt?" Oliver asked as he walked into the room to see Holt building the machine.

"It's coming along fine but were missing a part: A Quantum Manifold." Holt explained as he continued working.

"Yeah, I have no idea what that is. Where can I find on?" Oliver demanded.

"Only one place: The manufacturer. It's patented with sixteen patents, our biggest competitor." Holt explained.

"Kord Industries." Oliver groaned as he turned to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" Holt asked as he looked up.

"Kord Industries!" Oliver called back.

Kord Industries  
later

"You sure we don't need to call the others?" The Canary asked as she and Green Arrow walked onto roof of the building.

"We can handle this." Green Arrow said as he opened a glass hatch. 

The archer notched an arrow with a line and fired. Using the line as a zip line, Green Arrow glided down to the panel. Using the wrist tablet from Cisco, Oliver used the hacking arrow he had previously fired to determine the code. Punching it in, the doors opened as The Canary jumped down.

The two vigilantes entered the storage room, walking down the aisles, looking for what they came for. The Canary found it and, out of instinct, picked it up. As she did, alarms started blaring and the security team rushed in, firing at the pair. The two vigilantes rushed for cover as the security team pursued them. The Canary jumped on one of the guards and began beating him savagely.

"Sara, stop!" Green Arrow ordered.

When she didn't, Green Arrow rushed over and pulled her off. She seemed to come out of her fit and the two turned and ran.

Arrow Lair  
later

"Everything okay?" Laurel asked as she, Thea, and Diggle stood up as Oliver and Sara walked back into the lair.

"No but that can wait. We have the Quantum Manifold, I'll take it to Holt and we'll just have to wait." Oliver explained.

"Ollie, something happened while you were gone," Thea began and Oliver and Sara gave her thier attention, "Ray contacted us and, well..."

"Damien Darhk has him." Diggle finished and Oliver started.

"You're sure it's Darhk?" Oliver demanded.

"Absolutely." Diggle confirmed.

"This is actually a good thing," Oliver said before seeing the looks the team was giving him, "If Darhk has Ray, then we have an asset."

"My dad." Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

"I'll have him get us a location. In the mean time, Laurel, take Sara home." Oliver ordered and the others looked back and forth between Sara and Oliver.

"Is everything okay?" Thea asked.

"I...had a moment." Sara admitted.

"What's a moment?" Diggle asked wearily.

"She nearly beat a security guard to death." Oliver said bluntly and the team blinked.

"Sara, uh, let's go." Laurel said as she took Sara by the arm and led her out.

"I'm gonna head out to." Thea said and Oliver nodded.

"I've gotta drop the Manifold off at Palmer Tech, then I gotta meet with Lance. I'll head back to the here." Oliver said before he turned and walked out.

Later, after everyone had gone, Oliver was at the computers when Diggle walked in. 

"What are you doing here?" Diggle asked surprised to se him still here.

"Checking the traffic cameras." Oliver said.

"Well, that's a depressing night in. If only there was something else you could be doing, like being with your girlfriend." Diggle said sarcastically.

"Is it your turn to tell me to forgive Laurel?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"I don't think you need to, you've already forgiven her. But you think you're bad for her, bad for any woman." Diggle said.

"You know what I miss about our old space?" Oliver asked suddenly.

"The trunk with Russian vodka," Diggle said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of whisky and two glasses, "vodka's for wimps anyway, you need whisky."

"Vodka's for wimps?" Oliver laughed.

"Tennessee whisky, puts some hair on your chest." Diggle said as he poured two glasses and handed one to Oliver, "but back to you thinking you're bad for women."

"Look at my track record Dig," Oliver sighed as he took the glass, "Sara ended up on the freighter from hell and then at the League of Assassins. Shado ended up with a bullet in her head, Helena went on a psychotic rampage, McKenna was paralyzed, even Felicity left town to get away from me. And now Laurel is acting like I would, something I don't want. I can't help but feel like I ruin every woman I come to care about."

"You didn't do this Oliver, Laurel made her own choices. You can't keep blaming yourself for everything. What you need to ask yourself is if you love her enough to look past this," Diggle said before his phone went off and he looked at it, "it's Lance, in twenty. You good?"

"Better. Thank you." Oliver told him.

Later, Team Arrow stood in the meeting room as the holographic screen showed Darhk's hideout.

"There's no way were getting in there." Diggle told them.

"Not from the outside at least. Holt will take at least another hour to get the machine up, so he'll have to assemble it in the field." Oliver said and they turned to him.

"You sure about that?" Thea asked.

"We need him. And if Holt can resize Ray, then we'll have another hand on deck." Oliver explained.

"How about one more?" They turned to see Sara standing there.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Laurel voiced what they were all thinking.

"Laurel, I don't know what's going on with me, but I need to know that I can control this." Sara told her sister.

Laurel looked back at the others but their expressions let her know this was her call. After a moment of indecision, Laurel turned back to her sister.

"Suit up." Laurel told her.

Star City  
later

Green Arrow was on the roof, waiting for the Ghost. He sensed the Ghost approach and was beginning to grow impatient when he finally hit him. Green Arrow went down, acting like he was unconscious. 

The Ghost took him inside and Green Arrow had to pretend to be unconscious the entire time. When he finally decided to 'regain consciousness', he was in some room with the Ghost and Damien Darhk.

"Leave us." Darhk ordered and the Ghost left.

The Ghost left and went down the elevator. As it went down, Diggle took off his mask.

"Package is delivered." Diggle said over the comms.

"Ready." Black Canary.

"Ready." Speedy said.

"When Mr. Queen told me I wanted a bit more excitement with my job, this really wasn't what I had in mind." Holt told Speedy.

"Disengaging the security systems...now." Diggle said as they went off line.

"Ready?" Speedy asked Holt.

"As I'll ever beeee!" Holt said as Speedy jumped off the roof with him and opened the parachute.

They crashed through a window and Diggle looked over at them. Speedy landed on her feet but Holt fell off and landed on his back painfully.

"You okay?" Speedy asked as she knelt by his side.

"I'm not dead." Holt said dazed.

"Good, let's go." Diggle ordered.

Black Canary and The Canary walked up the stairs and ran into some Ghosts. The Ghosts opened fire on them and Black Canary Black Canary took cover behind a couch, which she flipped over to take more bullets. The Canary picked up a gun and fired, hitting a Ghost in the shoulder and sending him down. 

"You mind if I take a little Peak-see? I mean, I have my suspicions but I just want to see if I'm right, as usual?" Darhk said as his hand neared the hood.

Green Arrow used his chains to lift himself up before he kicked Darhk in the chest. He then yanked his chains off the wall and grabbed his bow and Quiver. He fired an arrow at Darhk but Darhk merely batted it away with his hand. 

"Didn't you learn anything from our last go-round? I guess not." Darhk said before gesturing his hands.

The chains wrapped around Green arrow's neck and he went down to his knees as they began to strangle him. 

The two Canaries fought off the Ghosts back to back while the others found Ray in his tiny prison.

"How do we open this?" Holt asked.

"My best guess is it needs an asymmetric cipher. You can open it with five years and an NSA-grade computer." Ray said causally. 

"Can't we just enlarge him now and use his size to break the cube?" Speedy asked.

"The quantum field won't be able to penetrate this polymer." Holt explained.

"You know, it's a shame you won't get a chance to see the new life I breath into this city, the new life I breath into this world." Darhk told the struggling Green Arrow.

"You won't get the chance." Green Arrow grunted against the chains.

Green Arrow threw an explosive up into the air and it hit a pipe, temporarily blinding Darhk. When Darhk regained his sight, he saw a pile of chains where the archer once was.

"Okay, this place has cameras in it. Those camera have to draw power from somewhere." Ray pointed out.

"Okay," Holt said as he plugged in the device to the cube, "we're Ready Mr. Palmer."

The device glowed before shooting a beam at the prison and completely shattering it. Ray grew to regular size and smirked.

"I'm not dead." He told them.

The Canaries continued to fight off the Ghosts when the got the call to retreat. But The Canary was lost to the blood lust. She ran over and put a Ghost in a neck lock. 

"Sara no!" Black Canary rushed over but was too late to stop her sister breaking his neck.

"We have to move," Green Arrow said as he met up with the others, "Nice to see you Ray."

"Nice suit." Ray quipped as they walked out.

Oliver and Laurel's loft  
later

"Hey, how are you doing?" Oliver asked Sara as Laurel let him in.

"I need to leave, I have to control this." Sara said and Oliver nodded.

"I figured. But you shouldn't go through this alone." Oliver said with Laurel nodded.

"I can't stay here Ollie." Sara told him as she looked over at him.

"I know. Which is why I called an old friend." Oliver told her.

The door to the balcony opened and the Lance sisters looked over to see Nyssa walk in, looking at Sara as though she were a blind man seeing the sun.

"Beloved." Nyssa sounded choked.

"Nyssa." Sara breathed.

"Why don't we leave you two alone." Oliver said as he and Laurel walked out of the room.

"Goo call, who better to help Sara than someone who knows the pit inside and out?" Laurel told Oliver once they were alone.

"That's what I was thinking to," Oliver said as he stopped and faced Laurel, "look, what you did, I'm not happy you kept it from me. But it was your decision, not mine. And I'm still angry...but we'll work through it." 

"What?" Laurel looked at him surprised and hopeful.

"I love you and I never could stay made at you." Oliver smiled slightly.

A beaming smile crossed her face and she threw her arms around him as she kissed him.


	8. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diggle discovers his brother Andy is alive and he and Oliver disagree about how to handle it. Darhk tries to court Oliver and Oliver tries to get Ray to take his company back.

Star City  
Night 

A Ghost was about to cold bloodily execute a cop when the windows shattered. Everyone held their ears as a loud, sonic scream pierced the air. Black Canary jumped off the roof of the truck as Green Arrow and Speedy rode up on their motorcycles. The two got off and immediately ducked for cover as two Ghosts fired at them. The two stood up, firing arrows back as they ran out of the way. Black Canary was holding her own against a Ghost, knocking him out with a blow to the head just as another one snuck up behind her and cocked his gun at her head. A moment later, a minivan barreled in, hitting the Ghost and knocking him across the area. Spartan got out and ran up to her.

“The Ghosts, they’re about to knock over the armored cars.” Black Canary told him.

“Yeah, it’s just like old times.” Spartan said before they ran off.

Green Arrow took out a Ghost by shooting an arrow in his shoulder. As he went down, a worker ran up to him.

“There are guards in the back.” He told the archer.

“We got ‘em, go!” Green Arrow ordered and the man didn’t need to be told twice.

As they moved to go inside, the truck near them exploded. Green Arrow notched an arrow and fired, hitting a Ghost in the shoulder. He went down as the rest of the team ran up to Green Arrow.

“They destroyed all the money.” Speedy said stunned.

“They didn’t need it,” Green Arrow said and she turned to him, “Federal government sent this to prop up Star City Bank. Hive just wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Arrow lair  
Later

“Darhk’s not kidding; he really wants the city to die.” Diggle noted grimly.

“But why, what does he have to gain?” Thea questioned.

“Base of operations,” Oliver said after a moment, “Hive has to operate out of somewhere. Where better than a dead city?”

“With an almost dead police department.” Laurel pointed out.

“Any luck with that tooth we got off that Hive agent?” Diggle asked and Oliver shook his head.

“No. Maybe Ray will have better luck.” Oliver said as he stood up.

“You got a sec?” Diggle asked.

“Sure, I’ll see you later,” Oliver kissed Laurel briefly before turning to Diggle as Thea and Laurel left, “What is it?”

Diggle handed him a folder. Oliver opened it and shifted through the evidence, becoming more and more concerned as he looked through it.

“Where’d you get this?” Oliver asked.

“From Lance, who got it from Darhk.” Diggle explained.

“John, this-”

“Is pretty definitive evidence that Hive killed Andy because his criminal operations interfered with their own.” Diggle said grimly.

“John, that doesn’t track with what you told me about Andy.” Oliver told him.

“That doesn’t track with what I knew about Andy! I guess I never really knew him.” Diggle grumbled.

“There has to be an explanation. Maybe he was undercover.” Oliver suggested.

“It’s all right there Oliver.” Diggle told him.

“All I’m saying is that Andy was your brother. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.” Oliver told him.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, next day  
Morning

“Thanks for coming by.” Oliver said as Ray walked in.

“No problem. Gives me something to do besides enjoy my new found freedom. And height,” Ray said before adapting a faux shocked tone, “was everything always this big?”

“Speaking of, why haven’t you had yourself declared legally alive and taken back Palmer Tech?” Oliver inquired and the smile fell of Ray’s face.

“You said you needed help with something?” Ray asked and Oliver gave him a look.

“Ray, I am a master at changing the subject. Don’t.” Oliver told him.

“What can I do for you?” Ray asked and Oliver sighed as he pulled out the tooth, “gee, I was wondering where my tooth went.”

“We pulled this off a Ghost. Tried pulling DNA off it, nothing.” Oliver said as he handed it to Ray.

“Half the DNA markers are missing.” Ray noticed as he went over the data Oliver had on it, “that’s impossibly.”

“Says the guy who can shrink.” Oliver shot back.

“Do you have any equipment? I'm fresh out of chromatographs.” Ray said and Oliver pulled out a bag with some tech.

“Way ahead of you.” Oliver said and Ray nodded as he plugged the tooth in, “Now, why aren’t you bringing yourself back to life Ray?”

“The DNA markers have been selectively degraded,” Ray noted, “it looks like it was done with a synthetic compound. Like a chemical CRISPR/Cas9. Lastrapium trioxide. Wolfman Biologics has a patent on it.” 

Star City  
Night

“On site, ready for entry.” Green Arrow said over the comms.

“What next?” Spartan asked ashes, Black Canary, and Speedy entered through back door. 

“I need a sample of the chemical to unscramble the DNA on the tooth and, hopefully, ID this guy.” Ray said from back at the lair.

“Where is this thing?” Black Canary asked.

“Second floor, northwest corridor. It’ll be a yellow liquid.” Ray said after a moment.

“Incoming. Four Ghosts, north entrance.” Green Arrow said as he moved in.

Green Arrow confronted them and a fight began, with Green Arrow easily holding his own. Speedy rushed in and joined the fight, knocking a Ghost down.

“We’re in, looking for the compound.” Spartan said over the comms as he and Black Canary entered the room.

“Got it.” Black Canary said as she picked up the vial.

Almost immediately after, a Ghost walked in and fired. She ducked as the vials were destroyed by the bullets. Spartan fired and hit him in the shoulder, knocking the Ghost out as he went down. 

“We could use some help down here.” Speedy grunted into the comms. 

I’m on my way.” Black Canary said as she rushed out.

“But by the time she got there, Green Arrow and Speedy had them all knocked out.

“I may have exaggerated a little.” Speedy said sheepishly.

“A little.” Black Canary almost growled.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“Your brother? I thought he was dead.” Laurel said.

“So did I. Nothing makes sense anymore.” Diggle growled.

“Ok, its obvious Hive faked his death,” Oliver began, “maybe it was part of Andy’s recruitment-”

“Oliver, you read his file. You saw what kind of man my brother was.” Diggle snapped.

“We don’t know anything, not until we hear it directly from Andy.” Oliver said firmly.

“And how do we do that?” Laurel asked.

“We get him out of Hive.” Oliver said simply.

“Oliver, why are you still giving him the benefit of the doubt?” Diggle demanded.

“Because he’s your family. You told me he was a good man, maybe part of him still is.” Oliver told him.

“The man who was my brother is dead. He’s dead.” Diggle snapped before storming off.

Star City   
Later

“Hey.” Oliver told Diggle as he and Laurel walked up to him.

“Hey.” Diggle said casually.

“Alex hired a secret security detail if you want to sit this one out.” Oliver offered and Diggle nodded.

“I’ll be at the bar.” Diggle said as he walked ff.

“Laurel, I have to give a speech, could you…” Oliver gestured towards Diggle.

“I got this.” Laurel kissed him quickly before walking after Diggle.

“There he is!” Thea said as she and Alex rushed up to Oliver.

“You ready for this?” Alex asked.

“Let’s find out,” Oliver said as he walked up to the podium, “excuse me. Thank you all for coming tonight. It is our great privilege to be here tonight to honor the Star City Police Department. These are a group of men and women who risk their lives for us on a daily basis. Never been an easy job, and it has certainly never been more difficult than it is right now in our city. These are the people that keep our streets safe; who watch over us. They protect us. For that, I'm grateful. And so is the rest of Star City.”

Oliver turned to the officers sitting behind him and began to clap. Soon, everyone else joined in on his applause. Oliver then walked off the stage, Quentin getting up and following.

“Not bad. Not as good as the Green Arrow’s, but not bad.” Quentin told him.

“Yeah? Maybe I should get him to endorse me,” Oliver said and Quentin laughed, “look, I need a favor. A location of one of Darhk’s foot soldiers.”

“Could be a little difficult. Darhk called me into his office this morning, had a little chat about how he doesn’t trust me anymore.” Quentin explained and Oliver turned to him.

“Wait, are you in danger?” Oliver demanded.

“I hope not but listen. When I was there, I saw something about a piece of paper about slip fifty-two down at the docks. Now, if the Ghosts are there, maybe the one you’re looking for will be there to.” Quentin told him.

“Club soda.” Laurel offered to Diggle.

“Kinda has to be. Can’t have a candidate’s bodyguard getting hammered.” Diggle grumbled.

“You want to talk about it? Resurrected siblings are kind of my wheelhouse.” Laurel pointed out.

“It’s not the same thing Laurel. Sara wasn’t-”

“A member of an organization of killers? I know there must be a thousand things running through your head right now but let one of them be appreciation that your brother is alive.” Laurel told him.

“Why, so I can hold onto some false hope that he might be decent? He doesn’t deserve that.” Diggle said darkly.

“Maybe not, but you do. When Andy died, a part of you died, and now’s your chance to heal.” Laurel told him.

“And how am I supposed to do that. I had to look my nephew in the eye and tell him and he was never gonna see his daddy again,” Diggle ran a hand over his face, tears running down his face, “the months after Andy died were the darkest times of my life. I would’ve given anything, anything, to get Andy back again. I would’ve sacrificed my life to have him back with his wife and son. I would’ve traded my life for a stranger.” 

Laurel put a hand on his arm as he tried to cope/

“Mr. Queen, do you think you can get more funding for the SCPD?” A woman asked Oliver.

“Well, that’s certainly a priority..” Oliver sad politely.

“Mr. Queen, huge fan.” Oliver’s blood ran cold as he turned around and took the offered hand.

“Thank you Mr?” Oliver managed to keep a straight face.

“Damien Darhk. I have some ideas about your campaign. Do you have a minute?” Darhk asked.

“Of course.” Oliver said as he and Darhk walked off somewhere private.

“It’s not just about financial support. I have strong relations in the business circles, media outlets as well.” Darhk said.

“Well, that’s all well and good but I am running unopposed,” Oliver said with a straight face as Darhk smiled, “so I’m not sure how you can help me win.”

“Oh, it’s not about winning. It’s about how much we can accomplish if we worked together.” Darhk told him.

Right.” Oliver said lowly fighting to keep his poker face.

“And, not to sound indelicate, a lot has changed in Star City since your parents had sway here. The levers of power have changed. Not understanding that is what doomed Jessica Danforth’s campaign.” Darhk made his subtle threat.

“Hm. What do you want Mr. Darhk?” Oliver demanded.

“I read your press release about your new project. The restoration of the Star City bay. Reconsider your plans; leave the bay as it is.” Darhk told him.

“And if I refuse?” Oliver raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“Well than you’d no longer be unopposed.” Darhk said as he walked off.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“You cannot be serious!” Laurel stared at Oliver.

“Your dad has lost Darhk’s trust. This may be the only way to find out what Darhk has planned.” Oliver explained.

“How do you expect to run for mayor if you’re playing Darhk?” Laurel demanded.

“This is more important,” Oliver said and Laurel looked around, “what are you doing?”

“Looking for the hidden cameras of the secret reality show I am on. To the man I am dating, nothing is more important that this city, nothing. Even taking down his enemies. When you see him, have him give me a call.” Laurel told him as she stormed off.

Diggle apartment  
Later

“Hi Lyla.” Oliver said as she opened the door.

“Hello Oliver.” Lyla said the awkwardness clear in the air.

“May I come in?” Oliver asked politely.

“Sure,” Lyla stepped aside and closed the door behind him, “I’ll give you two a minute.”

Lyla walked off and Diggle got off the couch. 

“How you holding up?” Oliver asked.

“I guess as good as can be expected, nothing to compare this to. Well, not this week.” Diggle laughed humorlessly.

“Listen, Lance got some information for us. Slip fifty-two on the docks,” Oliver said and Diggle looked over at him, “I checked it out, the whole area has been shut down tonight.”

“Think the Ghosts have something planned?” Diggle asked.

“And maybe your brother.” Oliver said carefully and Diggle scoffed.

“Every time we’ve faced the Ghosts, it’s been Russian roulette. I’m not risking any of you for Andy.” Diggle said firmly.

“You’re not. We’re offering.” Oliver said and Diggle considered it.

“Okay but just us. Laurel and Thea stay out of it.” Diggle ordered and Oliver reluctantly nodded.

Docks  
Later

Green Arrow and Spartan watched, stunned, as Darhk seemed to gain complete control of people with a pill. That is, until they were spotted and shot at. They waited until they came and then they struck. Green Arrow and Spartan attacked, the whole thing becoming a brawl in seconds. Green Arrow was doing well until someone tossed a small explosive near his fight. It went off and the Green Arrow was knocked. Hearing the explosion and seeing the smoke, Spartan knocked out the guy he was fighting with a strong punch to the jaw before rushing over to Green Arrow. Hearing someone approach, Spartan pulled out one of the archer’s arrows and threw it at the Ghost. It took him out and Spartan picked up Green Arrow and ran off. 

Arrow Lair  
Later

“It’s not your fault John.” Oliver said, wincing as his friend patched him up.

“I never should have let you make it. Oliver, you need to let this go man. I have. And it almost got you killed.” Diggle told him as he stood up.

“I’ve been a lot closer to almost.” Oliver joked and Diggle glared at him.

“Andy made his choice.” Diggle said.

“You don’t know that. John, you saw what was going on tonight. Those men, they were under the influence of something. Whatever pill is scrambling their DNA is also making them susceptible to Darhk’s suggestions.” Oliver told him.

“Alright, just because you have a blind spot when it comes to your family, don’t expect me to!” Diggle snapped.

“That’s not what this is about.” Oliver said.

“The hell it’s not! Family is what this is about! Criminal or not, susceptible or not! Andy let his son believe he was dead for eight years Oliver! Eight years! There is no excuse Oliver, none!” Diggle shouted.

“John, you don’t know-” 

“Neither do you! You have this inexplicable way of explaining everything just because it’s family.” Diggle snapped.

“It’s not inexplicable! I’m asking you,” Oliver leaned forward and grunted as pain shot through him, “I’m asking you to have hope for Andy, because I need that hope. I need to believe that no matter what happens in our lives, no matter how much darkness infects us, I need to believe that we can come back from that!”

“It was exactly that thinking that led you to the League last year. Doesn’t seem like you learned much from that experience.” Diggle scoffed as he turned away.

“Laurel told you.” Oliver guessed.

“We talked. Getting in bed with Darhk, I don’t know how you can even consider it.” Diggle said as he turned around.

“We are gonna stop him, no idea is off the table.” Oliver said as he stood up.

“I thought you were gonna do things different now Oliver. Fighting Darhk from the inside is just fighting him from the shadows. You want ideas, fine! Let’s take that son of a bitch out in the light of day!” Diggle shouted.

Oliver said nothing as Diggle walked off, thinking.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Later

“Hey.” Oliver greeted Ray as he walked inside.

“Hey, you alright?” Ray asked as he saw Oliver.

“Flesh wound. Laurel around?” Oliver asked.

“She said something about Thea freaking out and went over to her place,” Ray said and Oliver nodded, “I hope you don’t mind, I had Curtis bring over a few new toys.”

“It’s fine. Ray, speaking from experience, when you come from the dead, you need to go out, reconnect with friends, family. Why are you stalling?” Oliver demanded and Ray sighed.

“I’ve been catching up on the last six months. I feel like Tom Sawyer watching his own funeral, except no one really cares. Changing Starling City to Star City was nice, except look at what’s happened to the place. My company, the thing I built so that it would outlast me is on life support.” Ray said glumly. 

“When Ra’s first offered me the League, I was tempted at first,” Oliver said and Ray looked up at him surprised, “I didn’t feel like I had accomplished anything. But eventually, I realized I didn’t get in this for the glory. I don’t think you did either; you need to remember why you got into this ion the first place Ray. Did you get anything from the tooth?”

“I played with the compound on the tooth; it definitely broke down the residual DNA.” Ray explained.

“Anyway to get it back?” Oliver asked and Ray shook his head.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone. So since that was a dead end, I took another look at the polymer the fake tooth was made of. Uh, I found faint traces of sodium fluoride.” Ray explained and Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“Like from water?” Oliver asked.

“Which is impossible. Unless there was an unusually high sodium fluoride count in the drinking water, like say in the facility that was closed down for that very reason.” Ray explained and Oliver’s eyes widened as Ray brought something up on the tablet.

“Muller psychiatric facility.” Oliver said softly.

Arrow lair  
Later

“What’s going on?” Diggle asked as he walked in on the other suiting up.

“Ray found probable location for the Ghost’s base of operations.” Oliver explained.

“These guys won‘t be easy to take out.” Diggle noted and Oliver sighed.

“We don’t have that kind of man power. We’re going after Andy.” Oliver told him and Diggle glared at him.

“Oliver nearly got himself killed tonight going after Andy, I don’t want you two doing the same.” Diggle said as he looked over at Laurel and Thea.

“That’s not up to you.” Thea said.

“I did everything I could to bring my sister back; I think Andy deserves the same.” Laurel argued.

“That’s the thing, I don’t think he does. I’m not sure what Oliver told you-” 

“I told them the only things that matter: Andy’s under Darhk’s influence and needs our help,” Oliver said as he walked up to Diggle, “I made you leader because you didn’t trust me and I knew you’d make the right decisions. I think you’re making the wrong one now. Consider this my mutiny John.” 

Oliver walked off with Laurel and Thea following him, none of them glancing back.

Star City  
Later

“How are we supposed to know which ones Andy?” Speedy asked and Green Arrow held out two devices. 

“Little gift from Ray, inferred cameras that should virtually unmask everyone.” He explained.

“Sick.” She grinned as she and Black Canary took them and put them on.

“Ready?” Green arrow asked.

He and Speedy shot off arrows with lines and used them as zip lines as Black Canary jumped off the roof. 

“In position.” Speedy said over the comms.

“In position.” Black Canary voiced up.

“This isn’t just a base of operations; it looks like a staging area.” Green Arrow assessed.

“For what?” Black Canary wondered.

“Who know but we need to find Andy. Wait for my signal.” Green Arrow ordered.

“I might not have that option. I’ve been spotted.” Speedy said.

“I’ve been spotted to!” Black Canary said as she engaged her opponents.

“Waiting for visual on target.” Speedy grunted.

“Hold on,” Green arrow ran through the area as he looked at his wrist tablet, “that’s him Speedy!”

“He’s on me!” Speedy grunted and both Black Canary and Green Arrow heard the sounds of fighting.

Green Arrow come across various Ghosts and engaged. While he was holding his own, they kept coming at him. Take out one, two more took their place. 

“I got him, he looks heavy. I might need help.” Speedy said.

There was the sound of rockets and Ray flew in and his atom suit, assisting Green Arrow. The two fought together, the army of Ghosts fighting but gradually beginning to dwindle down.

“I’ve got Andy but I need help reaching the exit.” Black Canary said over the comms.

“Where’s Speedy?” Green Arrow asked.

“I don’t know!” She said and he growled.

“I got this!” He shouted at Ray.

“You sure!” At the archer’s nod, Ray flew off.

As he fought the rest alone, Green Arrow notched his bow and fires, taking them out. As one pulled out a gun, a shot was fired. The Ghost went down to reveal Spartan.

“I thought you weren’t coming?” Green Arrow asked.

“My brother needed me. The green one.” Spartan said and Green arrow smiled.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Thank you, thank you all of you. Palmer, even you.” Diggle said as he looked over at Ray.

“Glad I could help.” Ray said.

“So, should I expect you at work tomorrow?” Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I’m taking the company back if that’s okay.” Ray said and Oliver raised his hands.

“It’s all yours, never wanted to be CEO in the first place.” Oliver said and Ray smiled.

“Where are you going?” Laurel asked Diggle as he stood up.

“I have a long overdue chat with my brother. I hope you were right.” He directed at Oliver.

“Me to. You were right though, about fighting Darhk in the light of day,” Oliver clarified at Diggle’s look, “I think I figured out a way.”

“What’d you have in mind?” Diggle raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll see.” Oliver promised and Diggle nodded as he walked off.

“So, you’re back to yourself then.” Laurel said as he walked over.

“Yeah, Sometimes I need a kick in the ass every now and then. Thank you.” Oliver told her.

“Every time you forget, I’ll remind you.” Laurel said and they leaned in for a kiss when Thea spoke up.

“ I called Nyssa, I told her to meet us at the loft.” Thea said and they turned to her.

“Why?” Laurel demanded, different scenarios flashing through her and Oliver’s minds.

“I’d rather say it only once.” Thea said.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Later

“I am the demon’s head, I do not make social calls,” Nyssa said as the four of them met in the living room, “what is it you called me here for?”

“I think I found a way for me and Sara to control the bloodlust. A way without killing people,” seeing she had their undivided attention, Thea pressed on, “earlier, when Damien Darhk tried to use his powers on me, it backfired. And my bloodlust was gone, for a while. Is it possible to make that permanent?” 

“I do not know. But we shall see.” Nyssa promised.

Star City docks, next day  
Morning

“Thank you all for coming,” Oliver told the crowd as he stood at the podium, “My, uh, my campaign advisor doesn't think that saving the Bay is the right fight given the state the city is in. But I'd like everyone to know that I'm not blind to Star City's problems. And I wouldn't be here today if I wasn't confident that this program could help solve them. And the reason I chose the Bay is because it's in the center of the city. It's out in the open. For everyone to see. The fight to save Star City isn't going to be fought in the shadows. It's going to be fought in the light of day. And I promise you, all of you, that I will never stop fighting to save this city.

As the crowd burst into applause, Oliver and Darhk locked eyes in a heated stare.


	9. Vandal Savage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Flash and Cisco come to town, asking for help with protecting Cisco's girlfriend Kendra from Vandal Savage. Oliver gets a blast from the past.

Star City  
Night 

“They could have at least tried to hide this chemical bomb,” Darhk said as the Ghosts opened up the back of the truck, “serves them right, it’s getting stolen and used against them.”

There was a sound behind them. Darhk and the Ghosts turned around to see an arrow sticking out of the ground. Darhk looked up at the top of the truck and the Ghosts aimed at Team Arrow.

“Aw. You brought arrows to a gun fight.” Darhk mocked.

“What guns?” Green Arrow smirked as he pressed a button on his suit.

To the surprise of Darhk and the Ghosts, every gun they have on them flies out of their hands. The guns collect over by the arrow and Darhk looked back up at Team Arrow.

“Ah, that was pretty clever,” Darhk said sounding impressed before scowling, “Kill them.”

Darhk flees as Team Arrow jumps down from the truck and engage the Ghosts. It goes pretty good, Team Arrow managing to defeat most of them with ease. That is, until Darhk stepped up and put his hand on Green Arrow’s chest. 

“Oh, gotta be honest, I thought we’d be doing this dance a lot longer,” Darhk said as the archer’s skin turns a molten grey, “night-night.”

As Green Arrow begins to slouch, a flash of red goes by and Green Arrow is gone. 

“What was that?” Darhk asked as he looked around bewildered.

On the other side of the courtyard, Flash sped over and dropped Spartan off with the rest of Team Arrow. Diggle takes off his helmet and vomits.

“Every time.” Diggle muttered and Flash grimaced apologetically.

“This is the Flash?” Speedy asked and Green Arrow nodded, “did I know we knew the Flash?” 

“It never came up.” Black Canary shrugged.

“Thanks but I don’t think you came all the way here to protect us.” Green Arrow said knowingly.

“Not to protect you, no. I need your help to protect a friend.” Flash told them.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Wow, nice new digs,” Barry said as they all walked in and Oliver shrugged, “I just noticed no sleeves. Don’t you get cold?”

“I spent the better part of five years on an island in the north china sea. I don’t get cold Barry.” Oliver deadpanned as he walked off.

“Okay,” A girl they didn’t know said as she walked in with Cisco, “Star Labs was impressive but this is-”

“Completely wrong!” Cisco shouted and everyone looked at him startled, “did you even look at the specs I gave you? I’m mourning the death of engineering. Copper wiring to handle the processing speed from the Palmer satellite or your system is gonna crash.”

“Hi, Kendra Sanders,” the girl introduced herself, “I’m Cisco’s…”

“She’s my new beautiful friend….who kisses me.” Cisco said and everyone nodded.

“Well, I’m Thea. This is John Diggle,” Thea waved at Diggle who nodded, “and this is my brother and his girlfriend Laurel.”

“Oliver Queen,” Kendra said and Oliver nodded, “so, first I meet the Flash and now the Green Arrow. Any other surprises?”

“Please no more surprises.” Cisco begged as he looked up at the ceiling.

“Barry said you guys need my help. That someone very dangerous is after you.” Oliver said and Kendra nodded.

“And I have no idea why.” Kendra admitted.

“What does this guy even look like?” Thea asked.

“Hold on.” Barry said as he walked over an end table. Barry opened a sketch book and picked up a pencil. As everyone watched, Barry drew a picture at super speed. 

“This him.” Barry said as he held up the picture.

“Now that’s something I would never think of.” Diggle said dryly.

“Let’s run it through facial recognition.” Laurel suggested as Oliver took the picture.

“My thoughts exactly.” Oliver said as he sat down at the computer with everyone behind him.

After a moment, they had a match. Barry, Cisco, and Kendra look at the picture that was brought up.

“That’s him.” Kendra confirmed.

“Kendra…this picture is from 1975.” Oliver told her.

“Which would make him about eighty years old right now.” Barry noted.

“What else can you tell us about him?” Oliver asked as he stood up.

“He said we’d known each other for ages but I’ve never met the man.” Kendra told him.

“There has to be some kind of a connection.” Oliver said, trying to put it together.

“Not one I can think of. I just moved to Central City six months ago.” Kendra revealed.

“Why’d you move there?” Oliver asked.

“I just felt drawn to the city I guess.” Kendra shrugged.

“Kendra, there is a reason this guy is after you. Think.” Oliver told her.

“Hey, we just came here for a place to hide out until we can figure this out. So you can take it down a little.” Cisco said as he gestured with his fingers.

“You wanted my help; this is what my help looks like.” Oliver said bluntly.

“Oliver, I just saved you from whatever freak show that was back there,” Barry told him, “the least you can do is-”

“Barry, none of us have superpowers! You brought Kendra into our world without knowing who she is or what this dude that is that is after her is looking for! You made all of us unsafe! So maybe you ask the questions.” Oliver snapped. 

“All of you, calm down,” Laurel said firmly and they looked at her, “Barry, Cisco, if you’d gone to the police you know they’d be asking the same questions. So how about you be a little less defensive and a little more cooperative. And Ollie, I know it’s not easy for you to trust people, but remember that these are our friends.”

“Here’s a thought, why don’t we head back to Oliver and Laurel’s place. Relax, have a few drinks while we talk.” Diggle suggested and there were murmurs of acceptance.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Later

“Hey,” Barry said as he walked up to Oliver, “look, I’m sorry I sort of showed up here and just dumped this all on you.”

“It’s okay. And I’m sorry if earlier I was a little-”

“Snippy?” Barry asked grinning.

“I’ve been called worse. And I’m glad you reached out, it shows a real maturity. And I would know, because I’ve never been that mature,” Oliver said and Barry snickered, “well, I’m always here for you.”

“Thanks. I gotta say, this isn’t the same Arrow team I’m used to seeing. Or the same Oliver Queen, you seem really happy.” Barry noticed.

“I am happy. Being with Laurel without all the complications of this life and our past has given me a real sense of peace. It’s everything I’ve wanted since I first came home.” Oliver told him.

“Didn’t you tell me guys like us don’t get the girl?” Barry remembered.

“Yep. I was wrong.” Oliver said as he walked off and in front of the couches as Laurel put the snacks on the table, “I’d like to make a toast. I wish it wasn’t just the dark times that brought us together.”

There was a flash of red and Oliver blinked as his glass was gone. Barry stood next to him, both his and Oliver’s glasses in his hands.

“But it is friends like you that make those dark times worth having.” Barry quipped.

“What a guy! Steals my drink, steals my words,” Oliver took his glass back, “as I was saying. Cheers.”

Everyone echoed his statement as they drank, all alcohol in their glasses save Laurel, who just had water. Barry walked off to have a conversation with Cisco. A moment later, Oliver’s danger sense went off just before Kendra cried out. Everyone whirled towards the balcony as the glass shattered. The man burst in and stood on his feet, staring right at Kendra.

“I will always find you Shiera.” He said as he stared at her hungrily.

Barry flashed away before coming back, handing Oliver his bow. Oliver took aim, narrowing is eyes as he sized up the man.

“Don’t move!” He barked.

“Then how will I kill you all?” The man asked sarcastically.

He them pulled out several daggers and tossed them at them. Oliver fired at the man as Barry sped through the room, catching the daggers. But he didn’t have enough room in his hands to catch them, all, so he took one in the arm, going down as he dropped them. The man caught the two arrows Oliver had fired and Oliver moved in.

Oliver whirled around, trying to strike the man with his bow but he blocked it. The man kicked Oliver back and tossed a knife at Barry but Barry caught it.

“Yeah, I can do that to.” Barry said.

Oliver jumped up and fired an arrow but the man took out a fan and blocked it. Oliver fired more arrows but the blocked them.it wasn’t until Thea grabbed her arrow sand fired that Oliver managed to hit him on the shoulder. As the man dropped his fans, Oliver saw Thea was about to fire.

“Thea no!” he cried out but it was too late.

Thea fired and the arrow went into the man’s chest. The man stumbled back and went over the balcony. 

“Thea, what did you just do?” Laurel asked horrified.

“I ended it.” Thea said darkly.

“This is why we ask questions.” Oliver snapped as he and Barry walked out onto the balcony.

“Where’d he go?” Barry asked as they looked down but didn’t see the man.

“Oh boy.” Oliver muttered.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Lance is gonna call us if he gets any information on…whoever this is.” Oliver said as he gestured to the computer, which and a picture of the man.

“I know where we can get some info.” Barry said and they turned to him.

“Kendra,” Cisco began as he looked at his girlfriend, “I have powers. I get these Vibes of people, their visions. Of Metahumans. I had one of you.”

“So…you’re a Metahuman. And you think she’s one as well?” Oliver asked.

“I don’t know. In these visions, you could fly. It was like you were a bird of some sort.” Cisco told her.

“A bird?” Kendra asked slowly. “What else did you see?” 

“Just you. With wings.” Cisco said.

The lights suddenly went out. When they came back on, Nyssa, Sara, and some assassins stood in the lair.

“We need to talk.” Nyssa announced.

“Great, more surprises. Who is this?” Cisco demanded.

“My sister and her girlfriend. Though I don’t know what they’re doing here.” Laurel said even as she walked up and hugged Sara.

“The man you’re looking for is Vandal Savage.” Nyssa told them.

“Never heard of him.” Diggle said as they all looked at her cluelessly. 

“Who is he?” Barry asked.

“Some say he was the most trusted advisor to Genghis Khan. Others that he guided Julius Caesar through the through the Gallic Wars.” Nyssa said. 

“What we do know is that he was there for all of it. He’s an immortal.” Sara said as she released Laurel.

“Okay, we’ve officially crossed over into crazy town. I mean immortality?” Kendra asked doubtfully.

“It’s not the craziest thing we’ve seen.” Laurel said.

“And it makes sense. Why he appears unchanged.” Oliver noted.

“Okay, I need some air.” Kendra said as she stormed off.

Star City  
Later

“Did you find her?” Green Arrow asked as he rode on his motorcycle, looking for Kendra and her winged abductor. 

“I’m on it,” Cisco said over the comms, “found her! Fifty seventh street tower.”

“I’m right near there!” Green Arrow said as he sped off.

The archer was soon on the road and encountered the man on wigs. Green took out his bow and fired arrows at him, which the winged man dodged. The winged man flicked one back at him, which hit his motorcycle. Green Arrow lost control and fell of his motorcycle. As Green Arrow pulled himself to his to his knees, the winged man landed in front of him. 

“Give us the girl.” Green Arrow said as he stood up.

“Not gonna do that Robin Hood.” The winged man told him firmly.

“You’re making a big mistake. Green Arrow warned him.

“Thanks, put I’ll take my chances.” The winged man said as he lunged for Green Arrow. 

It became a fist fight, which quickly ended as the winged man kicked Green Arrow in the chest. As Green Arrow fell on his back, Flash sped up. The winged man took flight and grabbed Flash as he flew up into the air. Seeing his intention, Green Arrow grabbed his bow and shot off an arrow with a line as the winged man dropped his friend. Flash grabbed the line and slid down to meet Green Arrow.

“We need to expose his wings.” Green Arrow said.

“I’m open to suggestions.” Flash told him.

“Now you’re listening to me?” Green Arrow asked annoyed.

“It’s your city Oliver.” Flash said exasperated. 

Further conversation was interrupted as the winged man flew back towards them. Green Arrow stepped forward and fired arrow after arrow at the winged man. The winged man simply slew out of the way and Green Arrow ducked as the winged man flew lower and tried to deck him. As Green Arrow stood up, Flash turned around and held his arms out toward the winded man. Flash rotated his arms so fast that it produced miniature cyclones. The flying man struggled not to get blasted away, which was exactly what Green Arrow need. Green Arrow fired at the winged man and the arrow exploded into cables that wrapped around him. The winged man went down and Flash then ran around in a circle that surrounded him. The winged man rid himself of the cables and stood up just as, two both Green Arrow and the wing man’s shock, Flash threw lightning at him. It hit the winged man head on and he rolled onto the pavement, unconscious. 

“That’s new.” Green Arrow mentioned as he and Flash walked up to the winged man.

“Yep, comes in handy.” Flash smiled.

Arrow lair  
Later

They had tied the winged man to one of the pillars in the lair with chains. Once he woke up, he tried to break free but it was useless.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

“What’s your name?” Oliver asked.

“You’re putting her in danger and I’m the only one capable of saving her.” The winged man said as he struggled against the chains.

“You have a very interesting perspective on what the word saving means.” Thea noted.

“She’s the love of my life time sweetheart, I wasn’t gonna hurt her. You need to let me go,” the winged man said before he saw Kendra walk into the room, “Shiera.”

“My name is Kendra Sanders.” Kendra told him.

“In this life. I was Carter Hall but that is not who we are.” Carter told her. 

“What does that mean?” Kendra asked.

“You’re the priestess Shiera, I’m prince Khufu. We’re lovers, soulmates. We’re drawn to each other in each life and after we die, we reincarnate and find each other again and again and again. Now that we’ve found each other, we need to go.” Carter tried to break free once more futilely.

“Easy Romeo.” Cisco snapped.

“These people cannot protect you from Savage any longer.” Carter warned her.

“Do you know who Vandal Savage is?” Oliver asked.

“In each life, he hunts us. And kills us. He’s done it two-hundred and six times and I’m not planning on making it two-hundred and seven.” Carter told them.

“Why does he kill you?” Diggle demanded.

“His life force is tethered to ours. He kills us and becomes more powerful, you do the math.” Carter told them.

“You’re oh-two hundred six and you still think you’re her best bet.” Cisco scoffed.

“So all we have to do is find Savage and get rid of him.” Barry said.

“It won’t be that easy,” Sara said as she got off the phone, “that was Nyssa; Savage left Star City two hours ago.”

“To where?” Laurel demanded.

“Don’t know, but Nyssa thinks he’s trying to locate something called the staff of Horus.” Sara explained.

“What’s that?” Thea asked.

“It’s a relic from our past,” Carter explained, “if Savage gets his hands on it, it’s gonna be nearly impossible to stop him.”

“John, think you can call Lyla, have her use Argus to locate it?” Oliver asked.

“I’ll give her a call.” Diggle said as he walked off.

“You need to emerge now,” Carter said and everyone looked over at Kendra, “Come on! What does it take for you to believe, you saw my wings. I know you know this is true. Please just let me show you how.”

Star City  
Later

“so…you want me to jump?” Kendra asked as she, Carter, Oliver, Cisco, and Barry stood on a rooftop.

“Fall, jump, whatever suits you.” Carter told her.

“Hey, this isn’t the x-games here!” Cisco snapped.

“So this is how she emerges? She just…falls to her death?” Oliver asked skeptically.

“Four-thousand years’ experience says that’s exactly how.” Carter said.

“No, I’m sorry. Why are we listening to this guy? Come on, Oliver you’re supposed to be the one that asks questions.” Barry said rationally.

“Okay but after what we saw, after what Cisco sad I-I can’t believe I’m gonna say this-it kind of makes sense.” Oliver admitted reluctantly.

“Hey!” Barry said as Kendra jumped up on the ledge.

“I need to try.” Kendra told them.

“Are you sure about this?” Cisco asked.

“Yes she is.” Carter said before he pushed her off.

Kendra screamed on the way down and, after she was half way down, Barry had enough. He ran down the side of the building and caught her. He sped back up and placed her next to Cisco and Oliver.

“What the hell was that?!” Barry demanded.

“You should have emerged. Something is blocking you. We should try again.” Carter said.

“No!” Barry and Cisco shouted.

“Kendra, you don’t have to this. Oliver, we can stop Savage.” Barry insisted.

“Barry, can I talk to you for a sec?” Oliver asked and they walked a few feet away, “what is going on with you?”

“I’m trying to keep her alive.” Barry snapped.

“And I think we let her jump,” Oliver said and Barry scoffed, “Barry, I get you want to save her, you want to be the hero but I think she has to have a part in it to.”

“”It-it’s just that the rules keep changing! One day I’m taking down a telepathic gorilla and now we’re what? Going up against an immortal mad man with a fixation against a reincarnated warrior priestess? I just never thought I’d have super powers and feel more helpless.” Barry confessed.

“That I do get but you have already helped her. You have kept Kendra alive…so now let’s help her get her wings and she can give you a lift back to Central City…Central City.” Oliver breathed. 

Arrow lair  
Momentarily later

“We need to check Central City,” Oliver said as he sat down after reentering the lair, “Kendra, you said you were drawn there. I think you’re drawn to things that can destroy you the same way you’re drawn to each other.”

“That’s why it wasn’t in any museum,” Laurel said as she read off the computer screen, “it was consecrated eight months ago in Central City.”

“We gotta get it before Savage does.” Barry said firmly. 

“Carter, stay here.” Oliver ordered as he stood up.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Carter said.

“Laurel, hold down the fort in case Savage shows up, call Dig and Thea.” Oliver ordered before kissing her and walking off with Barry.

“Be careful.” Laurel called out after him.

Central City  
Later

“What’s wrong?” Green Arrow asked as he and Flash entered the church.

“Nothing, I just like to speed into rooms usually.” Flash told him and Green Arrow sighed.

“Where do you think we’ll find this thing? I haven’t been in one of these in a while.” Green Arrow told him.

“We’re too late.” Flash said as they stopped upon seeing the broken coffin.

“Something you’re not used to saying very often, I imagine,” Savage said as he stepped out, staff in hand, and Green Arrow notched an arrow and took aim, “you tried those arrows before, they didn’t quite finish the job, did they?”

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Green Arrow sneered.

“You should leave Kendra alone.” Flash warned him.

“I can’t do that. While my destiny is to live forever, Shiera’s is to die. As is yours now.” Savage told them.

The staff glowed blue and Flash sped away as Green Arrow stepped back, firing at Savage. The arrow was incinerated by a blue beam and Flash kept having to move to avoid the blue beams that kept destroying all the arrows the archer fired at Savage. Once it was powered up, Green Arrow and Flash ducked behind the benches to avoid the blast.

“Any idea?” Green Arrow asked.

“Now you wanna listen to me?” Flash snarked.

“It’s your city.” Green Arrow snapped annoyed.

A blast hit the bench closest to them and they ducked down to avoid the blast.

“Let’s just try to get the staff.” Flash suggested.

“Alright. On my mark.” Green Arrow said and Flash nodded.

Green Arrow stood up and fired at Savage. With Savage distracted, Flash sped over and tried to take the staff. However, blue energy surrounding it and pushed Flash back on his back. Green Arrow fired multiple arrows at Savage as he approached only to be pushed back by the same energy. Savage then said something in a language they didn’t understand as they stood up.

“In all my countless years, I’ve never encountered anyone with your capabilities. Astonishing!” Savage said before the staff gathered a lot of blue energy. 

However, he stopped as he lowered the staff, s look of awe on his face.

“Shiera,” He breathed as he walked off the podium, I used to enjoy slow deaths. Now I just find them boring.”

Knowing what this meant, the two vigilantes turned and fled as Savage raised his staff into the air. It glowed brightly as Savage brought it down. Flash grabbed Green Arrow and sped them both out of there before the church exploded. 

“thanks.” Green Arrow said as he stood up.

“Any chance he blew himself up in there?” Flash asked.

“Not likely.” Green Arrow disagreed.

“So that’s like a tie right?” Flash asked.

“I guess.” Green Arrow said lowly.

Arrow lair  
Later on

“That was Oliver,” Diggle said as he walked n to the others around the table, “Savage has the staff. He wants us in Central City as soon as possible.”

“If Savage is in Central City, why are we going back there?” Kendra asked.

“To end this. If anyone’s gonna end this, it’s gonna be Barry and Oliver.” Cisco said as he put on his jacket.

“Plus now that you’ve merged, it’ll be more difficult for him. We can end this, once and for all.” Carter said.

“So how are we gonna get there?” Diggle asked.

“I think Ray would be more than happy to lend us his private jet.” Laurel said.

Central City, Jitters, next day  
Morning

“Since when is that a thing?” Oliver asked as he saw ‘The Flash’ on the menu.

“About eight months. Maybe if you save Star City, you can get one two. By the way, we still need to get Savage.” Barry reminded him.

“We’ll get him,” Oliver said before a kid carrying a flash action figure bumped into him, “watch yourself buddy. You don’t want to lose this guy.”

“Thanks mister.” The kid said as Oliver handed him his action figure back.

The boy ran back to his mom and Oliver frowned. It was Samantha Clayton, his ex. The boy was around the right age, could he be…


	10. Secrets of the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teams Arrow and Flash come together to take down Vandal Savage. Oliver reels from a stunning revelation about his past.

Outside Central City  
Late morning

“Bunch of superheroes in a farm house? Feel like I’ve that in a movie somewhere.” Thea quipped as she got her bag out.

“We needed a secure location.” Oliver explained.

“What’s wrong with Star Labs?” Caitlin asked curiously.

“Well nothing if you forget about the revolving door you put in so the bad guys can come and go as they please.” Oliver said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, what happened to your last two lairs?” Caitlin asked defensively.

“Savage only let Barry and I live because he felt Kendra start to emerge as Hawk Girl and went after her,” Oliver said ignoring Caitlin as he moved towards the house, “he can sense her and Carter’s presence. I’m not gonna make it easier by staying within the city limits.” 

They all walked into the house and Oliver set his bag down on the table before turning to the others.

“We need to find a way to neutralize Savage’s advantage. Barry, you’re late.” Oliver said as he saw Barry and Cisco walk in.

“Sorry. Turns out it’s not easy to find the ass end of nowhere.” Barry quipped.

“No kidding, the roaming charges alone are gonna bankrupt me.” Cisco said as he looked at his phone.

“We were discussing how to take away Savage’s new found power.” Oliver explained.

“The staff of Horus. Yeah, I couldn’t lay a finger on it. It’s protected by some kind of energy.” Barry announced.

“Why don’t we try making some insulated gantlets?” Caitlin suggested.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, the magnetic shielding could disrupt the staff’s magnetic polarity.” Cisco caught on.

“While the geek squad works, we need to know everything we can about Savage.” Oliver said as he walked into the living room where Laurel, Thea, and Carter were.

“Well, I googled reincarnated nut jobs and came up with nothing.” Thea quipped and Oliver gave her an unamused look.

“Kendra and I would be the reincarnated nut jobs. Savage is merely immortal.” Carter pointed out.

“Merely? Welcome to the new normal.” Thea muttered as she walked off.

“Anyone who’s been around a thousand years has to leave a trail.” Diggle pointed out.

“Thea and I‘ll check police reports.” Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

Okay. Kendra, we need to utilize your new ability.” Oliver said as he turned to the girl.

“My new ability?” Kendra repeated.

“It might give us an advantage.” Oliver explained.

“Whatever you do, don’t let him train you,” Barry said and shrugged when Oliver glared at him, “I’m sorry but I can still feel where you shot me with those arrows.”

“I’ll handle the training then.” Carter volunteered and Oliver nodded. 

“’Kay,” Oliver said as he turned to Laurel, “I’m gonna run something down. I’ll be back later.”

Oliver gently kissed her before walking out before she could say anything. Laurel stared after him, worry in her eyes.

Central City  
Afternoon

Oliver sat in his car, watching as Samantha and the boy walked out of their house. As she put the young boy in her car, Oliver got out and closed the door. As it closed, Samantha turned around, startled by the sound.

“Oliver?” Samantha said upon seeing him.

“Hi!” Oliver said brightly and casually.

“What are you doing here?” Samantha asked as she walked over to him.

“I’m sorry to just drop by like this, but I was in town the other day. I saw you with your son-”

“William.” Samantha supplied.

“William. That’s a nice name,” Oliver said before continuing, “anyway, I saw you with William and it’s just…it’s difficult not to wonder because he…’s what, nine? And it was ten years ago that we had our thing-”

“Let me stop you right there,” Samantha interrupted him, “William isn’t yours. I told you I lost the baby and I met William’s father two months after moving to Central City.”

“Mom, we’re gonna miss the game!” William called from the car.

“Sorry, I have to go.” Samantha said apologetically.

No, it’s fine.” Oliver said with a smile. 

Samantha turned and as she did, she dropped a hat. Before she could get it, Oliver reached down and retrieved it for her. Oliver handed it back to her and as she walked off, Oliver looked down at his hand and the single black hair in it. As Samantha got in her car, Oliver’s phone went off.

“Nyssa?” Oliver answered uncertainly.

“Hello husband. I have arranged a meeting with Vandal Savage.” Nyssa told him.

“And you’re not crazy, despite evidence to the contrary. So why would you do such a crazy thing?” Oliver demanded.

“To defeat our enemy, we must know our enemy. We must know why he is doing this if we wish to stop him. You and the Speedster meet me at an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city at nightfall.” Nyssa said before she hung up.

Warehouse  
Later in the afternoon

“So, why are we meeting with the homicidal maniac again?” Flash asked as he sped into the warehouse.

“It’s a fact finding mission under the guise of negotiation,” Green Arrow explained before turning to Nyssa, “what do you know about him so far?”

“Nothing, no one does. That is why my father feared him.” Nyssa said grimly.

“He was wise to.” They all whirled around as Savage stepped into the room.

“What do you want?” Green Arrow demanded.

“What all living things want: not to die.” Savage said as he walked towards them.

“I thought that wasn’t really a problem for you.” Flash said curiously.

 

“Only if I take the life force from Prince Khufu and Priestess Shiera.” Savage explained.

“Kendra and Carter.” Flash corrected.

“The three of us are locked in a vicious circle played out over thousands of years. None of your concern.” Savage told them.

“We’ve made it our concern.” Oliver said before he shot at Savage.

The arrow went into Savage’s shoulder and he winced. However, he then grabbed the end of the arrow and, to the shock of the others, pulled it out of him with minimal signs of pain.

“Robin of Locksley,” Savage waved the arrow in their faces, “I taught him how to use a bow. He taught me how to not feel pain. I'm the enemy you can't defeat. The only way for you and yours to live through this is to render onto me what is mine. Turn over Prince Khufu and Princess Shiera within 24 hours, or I will lay waste to this city, killing everyone that you hold dear. And after that, I will travel to your home, and do the same thing there.”

“All right, I’m just curious. Did you rehearse that in the mirror this morning or all this just off the cuff?” Flash asked and Savage chuckled.

“Why would you risk the lives of your friends and family for two strangers? Two-hundred and six times I have killed them,” Savage walked away from them before turning around, “what hubris makes you think you can prevent me from doing the same again?”

“Not hubris, hope.” Flash corrected him.

“I came to this meeting out of curiosity, now it is sated. Bring Khufu and Shiera to Jurgens Industrial in 24 hours or I will see you dead and buried under the bodies of your loved ones.” Savage warned them before tossing the arrow to the ground and walking off. 

“We’re not giving up Kendra and Carter.” Green Arrow said firmly.

Team hideout, next day  
Afternoon 

“Twenty four hours.” Oliver announced to the team.

“Until what?” Kendra asked confused.

“Until we are supposed to hand you and Carter over to Savage or-” 

Savage lays waste to Central City.” Carter finished.

“Yeah.” Oliver said lowly.

“We've been through this before. 1887, the Huang He floods, Savage killed nearly two million people to get to us. And he did.” Carter admitted.

“We weren’t helping you then. We are now.” Oliver told him.

“My life isn’t worth millions of people!” Kendra snapped as she stormed off.

“I’ll talk to her.” Carter said as he moved to go after her.

“I got this.” Cisco said as he tried to follow.

“I said I got this.” Carter said annoyed as he followed Kendra.

“Here’s an idea: why don’t we just toss him over to Savage.” Cisco said sarcastically.

Central City Police Department  
Late afternoon

“Hey, here you go,” Barry handed the paper to Oliver, who took it like it was gold, “I compared the hair strand to the blood sample you gave me. Still not sure what this has to do with Damien Darhk, but the Y-chromosomes match. Are you okay?”

Oliver barely responded as he stared at the paper. He had a son…he had a son.

“Thanks for your help,” Oliver said as he turned and started to rush out before pausing and turning to Barry, “don’t tell anyone about this.”

Oliver then rushed out moments before Laurel walked in.

“Hey, we’ve been trying to get in contact with you guys for hours,” Laure paused as she noticed Barry hide something, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” Barry said evasively.

“Okay,” Laurel said not quite believing him but deciding to let it go, “anyway, we found something on Savage.”

Central City  
Later in the afternoon

Oliver stared at the check in his hands, shock and anger filling him. He was so stunned by what he had learned about his mother that he almost jumped when Samantha spoke up again.

“I never cashed it. I didn’t need her money to know I never wanted her anywhere near my child.” Samantha told him.

“Or me.” Oliver said a little anger in his voice.

“So what, he could be just like his dad? Punching out paparazzi and getting young girls knocked up?” Samantha asked as she led Oliver into the kitchen.

“Samantha, I’m not that person anymore.” Oliver told her as she picked something up.

“I know,” she said as she opened the fridge, “you’re running for mayor, your mother was killed, your friend Tommy. You’re a different person know but can you really tell me that your life is any less crazy? Can you honestly tell me William isn’t better off with your world kept away from his?”

“I know I am being selfish,” Oliver said as Samantha walked over to the kitchen table and started picking up dishes, “but I want to know my son and I think a young boy deserves to know his father.”

“William is happy, he’s well adjusted. I don’t want to risk that he will get sucked into your orbit,” Samantha put the dishes in the sink before turning back to Oliver, “Which means he can’t know you’re his father. And no one else can either. I don’t care if that sounds harsh, I’m his mother and I will do whatever I have to do to protect him.”

“Samantha…I’m with Laurel now. She and I have finally worked passed all of our issues. Please don’t make me lie to her.” Oliver begged and Samantha was silent for a moment.

“Laurel. You may tell Laurel but no one else.” Samantha said after a moment.

Team hideout  
Night

Oliver made it back and was walking through the gate, his thoughts a thousand miles away. He had a son, who he had never known about. His emotions were a mix of anger, regret, joy and a bunch of others he couldn’t put his finger on. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Laurel walk up to him until she spoke up.

“Hey,” Oliver almost jumped as he looked up at Laurel, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” Oliver asked evasively and Laurel crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

“Because you’ve been distant since we came here. You’ve been gone most of the time and Barry is acting weird according to Cisco. What’s going on Ollie?” Laurel demanded and he sighed.

“Something has been going on,” he said as he put a hand to the side of her face, “honestly; I’m still trying to process it myself. I promise you I will tell you everything once this is all over. Okay?”

“You better.” Laurel grumbled as they walked into the house.

“We’re coming up on Savages deadline,” Oliver announced as he walked inside, noting Sara had joined them in his absence, “are the gantlets ready?”

“I think so. The staff’s going to go from ‘can’t touch this to ‘invisible touch.’” Cisco said.

“Kendra, Savage doesn’t know you have access to your full abilities. You attack Savage with the element of surprise, I will provide cover fire. Barry you will speed in and-”

“Snatch the staff, got it.” Barry nodded.

“Where do you want us?” Diggle asked.

“This is me, Barry, Kendra, and Carter, we got this.” Oliver told them.

“Ollie!” Thea protested.

“I’m not risking any more lives than we have to.” Oliver said before he walked off.

“Suit up.” Barry ordered before he walked off.

“What the hell was that?” Laurel demanded.

“Ollie’s not focused,” Sara noted and they turned to her, “his head’s not in the game. I haven’t seen him that distracted since after Shado was killed on the island.”

“What happened today?” Thea wondered.

“Ollie said he was dealing with something that he was still trying to process.” Laurel admitted.

“Well whatever it is, it’s distracting him.” Sara said worriedly.

Warehouse  
Later

“You brought them! And dressed for the occasion!” Savage said as Green Arrow, Flash, Carter and Kendra walked in.

“We’re only doing this because two lives aren’t worth two cities.” Green Arrow told him.

“Then you are wise. It’s been a lifetime. Still wearing those ridiculous outfits I see,” Savage laughed before looking over at Green Arrow and Flash, “you do not need to be here for this. The culling has a tendency to be unsightly.” 

Savage lifted up one of the sides of his coat to reveal various weapons. As he let go of it, Green Arrow looked over at Flash who gave a barely noticeable nod.

“Your new friends betrayed you.” Savage told the hawks gleefully.

“Just do what you’re gonna do.” Carter told him.

“Wonderful to see you again my love.” Savage told Kendra.

“I will never be you love.” Kendra sneered.

“I know, Save admitted as he pulled out a knife, “that always makes this…easier.” 

Savage walked towards Kendra, knife raised to strike. As soon as he reached them, Green Arrow grabbed Savage by the arm and kicked him in the waist, sending the immortal back. As the archer engaged him, Flash sped over to Carter, Uncuffing him and Kendra before putting the gantlets on. However, he was blasted by Savage’s staff before he could do anything. As Flash was thrown back by the blast, Green Arrow grabbed the staff and threw it out of Savage’s hands. Carter brought out his wings and looked over at Kendra.

“Now Kendra!” He shouted.

After a moment, Kendra looked over at him helplessly. At that moment, Savage knocked down Green Arrow and threw a knife. It hit Carter in the chest and he went down, obviously dead. A clear energy seemed to leave him and Kendra rushed at Savage but he pulled out a dagger and stabbed her through the chest as well. She gasped as a white energy seemed to come from her into Savage before he dropped her lifeless body. 

Green Arrow fired at Savage but the arrow simply bounced off him. Flash sped over and grabbed the staff, firing the blue beam at Savage. However, the speedster quickly noticed a problem.

“I’ve got it! The gantlets aren’t working!” Flash shouted.

Green Arrow rushed over, grabbing onto the staff as the beam became wilder.

“Let go Barry!” the archer grunted.

“I’m not leaving you!” Flash protested.

“You to! So you can get away! Run Barry, run.” Green Arrow told him.

Reluctantly, the speedster let go was thrown back as the beam stopped. Savage snatched the staff from Green Arrow and slammed the staff on the ground. A blue energy built up and spread throughout the room. Flash watched horrified as his friend was disintegrated right before his eyes before he turned and ran. The energy followed him through the city, destroying everything in its path. Barry looked over and saw another version of himself running before the second Flash vanished. Barry stopped running and was started to see he had ended up at the warehouse he had just left, Green Arrow and Nyssa waiting for him.

“Thanks for coming.” Green arrow told him, not noticing his friend’s shock.

Team hideout  
Night

“We need to brief the them, come up with some sort of counter attack.” Oliver said as he stood u from his motorcycle.

“It’s not gonna work.” Barry said and Oliver looked over at him confused. 

“What?” Oliver asked as he walked over to Barry.

“Nothing, alright never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Barry said.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asked concerned.

“Ok, look, this isn't going to make any sense to you, but I--all right, so I traveled back in time from when we tried to take out Savage. I mean, later, when we tried to take him down in the future, and it doesn't work.” Barry rambled.

“You’re right, that doesn’t make sense to me.” Oliver admitted.

“My world is stranger than yours.” Barry told him.

“Well maybe we use that to our advantage. You say that whatever we do against Savage doesn't work? Then we come up with a new plan.” Oliver suggested but Barry frantically shook his head.

“No. No, no, no. Ok, look, you can't. You--when I mess with time, it just, it doesn't end well.” Barry told him.

“But what you're telling me is that it already doesn't end well. Barry, people in our line of work, we don't get second chances. We need to take this one.” Oliver told him and Barry nodded slowly.

“Alright, I hope you’re right.” Barry said as they started walking towards the house.

“Now why don’t you start by telling me what went wrong.” Oliver told him.

“You did. When we go up against Savage, your head’s not in the game, you’re not yourself.” Barry told him.

“Why not?” Oliver demanded.

“I don’t know for sure. Are you planning on giving me a hair sample and having me run a DNA test on it in the near future?” Barry asked as they stopped outside the house.

“Yeah.” Oliver said lowly.

“Well I did and you were pretty shaken by it. What’s going on?” Barry asked and Oliver was quiet for a moment.

“There’s a high possibility I might be a father. From what you’re telling me, I am.” Oliver said as he turned away from Barry and it was quiet for a moment.

“So when we go up against Savage, you’re not focused. And Kendra can’t access her powers and the tech they’re developing to counteract Savage’s staff doesn’t work and…everyone dies Oliver.” Barry told him and Oliver turned back to him.

“This time they won’t. This time, we do things differently.” Oliver promised.

Shed outside the hideout, next day  
Afternoon

“How are they coming?” Oliver asked as he walked into the work shed.

“For my first pair of anti-Gandalf magic staff gloves, pretty good, I think.” Cisco said as he held up the gantlets.

“Just double and triple check, okay? I’m a little worried about them not working.” Oliver admitted.

“Based on what?” Cisco asked as he walked towards his laptop.

“Call it gut instinct. And I need you to talk to Kendra.” Oliver told him and Cisco looked at him annoyed.

“Oh, I get it. Shoot arrows, give love advice, it’s like you’re Cupid or something.” Cisco snapped.

“What Carter is doing with her isn't working. We need her power to fight Savage, and we need her to be able to use it reliably.” Oliver told him.

“Carter's a jerk. But he's supposed to be with her, 'cause destiny says they're supposed to be together, and he's supposed to be her soul mate, so I'm not even sure what I can say-”

“We need to do something Cisco, we need to reach her!” Oliver snapped.

“Egyptian reincarnation isn’t really up my alley.” Cisco pointed out.

“What Kendra’s going through is about accepting who she is. Who better to help her do that than the guy who is clearly in love with her?” Oliver said before he walked off.

“I don’t know if we’re at the L-bomb stage yet,” Cisco said and Oliver looked over his shoulder, “I’ll talk to her.”

Oliver nodded and walked out.

Team hideout  
Night

“Oliver, you were right,” Cisco said as he and Kendra walked in, “I don’t know how you knew but you were right. The Gantlets won’t work; they’re missing a critical element.”

“How do you know?” Diggle demanded.

“Because I remembered how we were killed the first time,” Kendra said and they turned to her, “I remember our first life back in Egypt.”

“I’ve never been able to remember our first death.” Carter admitted stunned.

“These meteors fell to the ground and destroyed the royal palace.” Kendra explained.

“And how does this help us defeat Savage?” Sara demanded.

“It’s the calamity. The meteors had a glow about the. Savage’s staff had two gemstones that glowed the exact same way.” Kendra explained.

“They must be made up of the same element.” Barry realized.

“Egyptians used meteorite in their craftsmanship. And the minerals glow in proximity to each other. Like Sankara Stones.” Cisco said as he sat down at a laptop and began typing.

“Wait, the Indiana Jones reference was the only thing I understood.” Thea said.

“Two pieces of the same meteorite, like an nth metal... that is the key to counter-acting the staff.” Cisco explained.

“Not actually the craziest thing I’ve heard today.” Oliver said dryly as he and Barry exchanged glances.

“There's a sample of the meteorite from the Middle Kingdom at the Keystone City Museum of Natural,” Barry sped out and back, handing Cisco a black rock, “History.”

“Hopefully I got the right one.” Barry said.

“I could synthesize the compatible isotope out of this and coat the gauntlets with it.” Cisco said and Oliver nodded.

“Good, do it,” Oliver ordered before turning to the others, “Savage doesn't know that Kendra has gained access to all of her abilities. It makes you our ace in the hole.”

“Where do you want us?” Diggle asked.

“Suit up.” Oliver ordered.

Warehouse  
Later

“Ollie, everyone’s in position,” Flash said as he walked up to Green Arrow, “are you sure about this?”

“About changing the future? Barry, what could happen that could be worse than what already did?” Green Arrow asked.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be so worried.” Flash muttered.

“Let’s do it.” Green Arrow said as they entered the warehouse.

Slightly later, in a scene that was all too familiar to Flash, the two vigilantes stood with Carter and Kendra across from Savage.

“Wonderful to see you again my love.” Savage told Kendra.

“I will never be your love.” Kendra told him.

“I know. That always makes this…easier.” Savage said as he pulled out a dagger.

As Savage stalked over to them, Green Arrow fired an arrow and the Hawks were freed. Carter rushed Savage but Savage used the staff to throw him to the side. 

“Now Kendra!” Green Arrow barked.

Kendra brought out her wings and flew out at him, knocking Savage down. At the same time, a van sped in. Savage stood up and blasted it but it only stopped the stuck. The back of the van opened and Black Canary and Speedy jumped out while Spartan got out of the front. Black Canary screamed her Canary Cry as Spartan fired. Meanwhile, an arrow fired at Savage from behind as a dagger came flying out at him. Savage used his staff to destroy them all and Team Arrow jumped back as The Canary and Nyssa jumped out from their hiding spots. Nyssa and The Canary lunged from his, using their bow and baton respectively to engage him with Team arrow assisting. Green arrow fired at him from a distance. While he was distracted, Flash sped over and ripped the staff from Savage. 

Savage blinked as Flash sped away from him and aimed the staff at him. The others jumped back as Barry cried out before he fired the blast at Savage. Savage fought the blast as everyone else fled. Save for Green Arrow.

“The Gantlets are working!” Flash shouted as Green Arrow ran over and helped hold the staff, “You need to get out of here!”

“We’re not leaving each other!” the archer shouted over the roar of the beam.

It went on like this for several seconds but it was too much for Savage. The beam over took him, disintegrating him and the staff seemed to vanish as they stared where Savage once stood.

“Did we do it, is her gone?” Black Canary asked as the others all ran up to them.

“Looks like it.” Spartan noted.

“I knew we could do it.” Carter grinned.

“I’m having the strangest sense of Déjà vu.” Black Canary said.

“You’re not the only one.” Green Arrow told her.

Central City, next day  
Morning

“You did it Barry. Everyone’s alive. Our guardian angel.” Oliver said as the two walked through town.

“That’s what you called me when I first got my powers.” Barry remembered.

“I meant it then and I know it now.” Oliver told him.

“So, what are you gonna do about…” Barry trailed off but Oliver knew what he was talking about.

“I need to go have two very difficult, very over-due talks with a couple women. Wish me luck.” Oliver joked before he walked off.

Team hideout  
Late morning

“Hey, finished packing?” Oliver asked as he walked into the room.

“Yeah. Are we gonna have that talk now?” Laurel asked as he she turned around.

“You might want to sit down for this,” Oliver said as she did so, wearily watching him, “this isn’t very easy for me to say so could you just…try not interrupt?”

“Okay.” Laurel said with a sinking feeling.

“Back before the island…Sara wasn’t the only one I cheated on you with,” Oliver said slowly and she clenched her pants legs, “another was Samantha Clayton.”

“Wait, Samantha?” Laurel said and Oliver nodded regretfully, “you cheated on me with Samantha?”

“Yeah.” Oliver said ashamed.

“…okay.” Laurel said and Oliver blinked.

“You’re not mad?” Oliver asked in disbelief.

“Oh I am furious and we will definitely talk about this. But you aren’t that person anymore. But why tell me this now?” Laurel asked and Oliver sighed tiredly.

“Samantha was pregnant,” Oliver said and she gapped at him, “she told me she miscarried just before she left for Central City. I didn’t think much of it until a few days ago. I saw Samantha with a kid, a young boy.” 

“Ollie…” Laurel gasped, shock in her voice.

“I went to visit her. She claims he’s not my son but I managed to get a hair sample and have Barry run a DNA test…he’s mine Laurel.” Oliver told her.

Samantha’s house  
Afternoon 

“These are my conditions Oliver. You’ve already asked the world of me, I’m just asking the same in return.” Samantha said as she walked passed him.

“You can’t ask this off him Samantha,” Laurel pointed and she looked over at her former classmate, “Oliver has equal rights as William’s father. I get wanting to protect your son, really I do, but you are being unreasonable. If Oliver decided to go to court for William, a lawyer could make the case that you intentionally kept William from Oliver, and Moira’s bribe wouldn’t look so good, even if you didn’t cash it. But I don’t think anyone here wants this to go to court. So may I suggest an alternative?”

“What you’d have in mind?” Oliver asked, seeing Samantha wasn’t happy.

“He doesn’t know you’re his father…at first; give him some time to get to know you first. We won’t tell anyone about William, EXCEPT those we trust absolutely. We introduce William to our world gradually so he won’t get sucked in. And it’s been a long time since we’ve all seen each other, we get to know each other again, learn to trust each other again. For William’s sake. Does that sound fair?” Laurel asked and Samantha was silent.

“Okay,” Samantha said and Oliver frantically nodded relief and joy on his face, “William is in his room.”

Oliver turned and walked up the stairs. After a moment, Laurel followed him. She heard voices and went into a room. She saw Oliver sitting on the floor, talking to a dark haired child. His hair was sandy-brown, a blonde so dark it was almost brown and he had Oliver’s eyes. William’s eyes lit up as Oliver talked to him about something and Laurel couldn’t help the light smile that crossed her face as father and son began to play. 

Star City, Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Night

“We need to clean this place up.” Laurel said as she and Oliver walked in to see the glass from Savage’s attack on the floor.

“We need to talk first, since you haven’t said a word since we left Central City,” Oliver said and Laurel tensed, “Laurel…I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not. ‘Cause then you wouldn’t have William. And that’s okay, I’m happy for you Ollie, really.” Laurel said as she turned to face him.

“But you’re still mad. And you have every right to be. I have no excuse for my actions back then; I just hope you can forgive me.” Oliver said as he walked over to her.

“I forgave you for everything you did before the island a long time ago. If I get mad at you for everything you did back then, then I’m getting mad at someone who’s not here anymore. But our issues…they haven’t gone away as much as we thought. I want to go to counseling.” Laurel told him and Oliver was thrown for a minute.

“Okay.” Oliver agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did any of you actually think I was gonna have Laurel pull a Felicity and be completely unreasonable about this? *Laughs* No, just no.


	11. Darhk strikes back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver reveals the truth about the Ghosts to Star City with catastrophic consequences. Laurel goes through a big change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: There is talk of the Holocaust and gas chambers in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

Star City Bay  
Morning

“Ollie!” Oliver turned around to see Thea and Alex approach.

“Hey. How we doing so far?” Oliver asked.

“It’s actually a pretty great turnout.” Thea noted as she looked around at the cleaning.

“Who knew people would rather pick up garbage than celebrate the holidays.” Alex joked.

“Not bad for a ‘hippie, crunchy campaign proposal’, huh?” Oliver cracked and Alex grimaced.

“No one likes an ‘I told you so’…except apparently Star City. Your approval rating is up ten percent.” Alex told him.

“I have an approval rating?” Oliver asked pleasantly surprised.

“Yes, yes you do. Welcome to politics, Mr. Queen.” Alex told him smiling.

“Mr. Queen?” A news crew approached.

“Excuse me.” Oliver told Alex and his sister before walking over to the news crew.

“How do you feel about inspiring so many people to come out here today?” a new anchor asked him.

“I didn’t inspire anyone. This is the city I remember and it’s the city I know we can be again.” Oliver said confidently.

“Thank you for your time.” The anchor told him politely and Oliver nodded before walking off.

“People are picking up garbage when they should be picking up resents. You missed your calling.” Diggle said sarcastically as Oliver reached him.

“How are you doing?” Oliver asked concerned.

“My brother’s home for the holidays Oliver. He’s in a cage, but he’s here.” Diggle said glumly.

“We’re gonna get Andy out from Darhk’s influence, that is a promise.” Oliver vowed.

Further conversation was interrupted by shots ringing out. Oliver whirled around to see what looked like a drone flying by and firing, bullets hitting the water.

“Everyone get down!” Oliver shouted as everyone screamed terror.

Laurel got some kids to safety while Diggle pulled out a gun and fired back at it. It didn’t faze the drone and Oliver saw, to his alarm, a kid was not getting to safety but staring up at the drone in fascination. Cursing at the kid’s stupidity, Oliver ran over and tackled the kid out of the way, barely saving her from the drone’s bullets. Suddenly, a blue beam came out and struck the drone, destroying it in an explosion of fire. Everyone looked up as The Atom flew off into the distance. 

Arrow Lair  
Later

“Any news on the victims?” Oliver asked as he turned off the news report on the incident.

“Some are released, some are still in surgery.” Laurel told him.

“It’s a miracle no one died.” Ray said as he walked into the room.

“Ray thanks for your help today.” Oliver said as he looked over at the CEO.

“Don’t mention it. Do you guys know who was behind the attack?” Ray inquired.

“Isn’t it obvious? Darhk.” Oliver said through gritted teeth.

“Are we sure this is Hive?” Thea asked and Oliver gave her a look. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“There were kids there.” Oliver said lowly as Thea’s phone went off.

“It’s Alex; every news station in the country is looking for a comment from you.” Thea read off her phone.

“No comment.” Oliver snapped.

“Ollie, we have to give them something.” Thea pointed out.

“What do you want me to say?” Oliver snapped as he whirled around. “I asked people to come, they almost died. When we have a plan to get Darhk, then I will talk to the press!”

“I know Hive wants this city to die, but going after a volunteer event, it just seems a little overkill.” Laurel noted.

“Two weeks ago, Darhk warned me to back off my plan to clean up the bay, today he went after civilians. This is important to him! We just need to figure out why.” Oliver said as he gave a significant look to Diggle.

“Last time I talked to my brother, it didn’t go so well.” Diggle reminded him.

“I need you to talk to him again. A couple weeks in a cage will change your perspective, trust me.” Oliver told him before walking away.

Star City  
Afternoon

“Are we sure we about this?” Thea asked concerned.

“The truth is the only move Darhk has left us.” Diggle pointed out.

“Hive has us outnumbered, the only way we can stop them is if we ask the city for help.” Laurel pointed out.

“You know, if we do this, it’s gonna paint a target on all of your backs.” Oliver pointed out as he looked at the three of them worriedly.

“We can take care of ourselves.” Laurel said as she put a hand on the side of his face.

With a shakily breath, Oliver nodded. With his team all looking at him reassuringly, Oliver turned and walked towards the press team. Looking at the cameras, Oliver gathered himself before speaking.

“Thank you all for coming,” Oliver began, “For 6 months, we have been besieged by a nameless and a faceless organization that seems hell bent on destroying our city. You know them as the Ghosts. And while they may be anonymous, their leader is not. He has a face, he has a name, and I think that it is high time the people of Star City know the truth about who he is.”

Oliver then held up the picture of Darhk for all to see, making sure the camera got a good look at it.

“His name is Damien Darhk; he controls the Ghosts on behalf of an organization known as Hive. Hive wants this city to die. Now, I will be distributing this, the only known photograph to every news outlet and social media feed in the country. For months, this man has made afraid to walk the streets; I suggest we return the favor. We will also be setting up a hotline. Now, individually, Mr. Darhk may be able to defeat us, but united, he doesn't stand a chance.” Oliver told the news crews firmly.

Arrow Lair  
Later in the afternoon

“That should get his attention at the very least,” Oliver said as Team Arrow walked into the lair, “Ray is monitoring the hotline, so we’ll know if anything solid comes in right away.”

“In the meantime, you need to prepare for your campaign holiday party.” Laurel pointed out and they stopped as Oliver whirled around, incredulous.

“Laurel, we just waved the red flag in front of a bull.” Oliver pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean we can put our entire lives on hold.” Thea pointed out.

“But…help me out here man.” Oliver looked at Diggle pleadingly.

“Sorry, you can’t launch a grenade then go to ground.” Diggle pointed out.

“John is right. As much as your speech was about outing to Darhk, it was also about sending the message that you’re not afraid anymore. And cancelling your Christmas party sends the opposite message.” Thea pointed out.

“Okay,” Oliver said after a moment, “talk to Lance, see if he can get some extra security for the party.”

Diggle and Thea nodded, walking off to do just that. Once they were gone, Oliver turned to Laurel, uncertainty on his face.

“Do you think I did the right thing?” Oliver asked.

“With Darhk?” Laurel asked and he nodded.

“He’s gonna retaliated somehow, someplace.” Oliver fretted and Laurel wrapped her arms around his neck.

“When he does, we’ll be ready. I think you’ve spent so long being this…dark avenger, that you don’t know how to be anything else why don’t you try being a beacon of hope?” Laurel suggested and Oliver paused, considering.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Night

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the extra security.” Thea noted as Diggle walked over to her, Oliver, and Laurel.

“Where’d you find all these guys?” Laurel asked curiously.

“A friend of mine is a Seal who knows someone who knows someone,” Diggle said vaguely as he looked around, “so I thought Ray would be here to support you.”

“He’s probably on a million calls of the hotline.” Oliver pointed out.

“I have Mr. Holt on that actually,” Ray said as he walked over to them seemingly out of nowhere, “I must say, you really know how to throw a party Oliver.”

“Thank you Ray.” Oliver smiled at him.

“Mr. Queen, so nice to meet you.” The fire chief said as he walked up to him and held out his hand to Oliver.

“You as well chief,” Oliver said as he shook the man’s hand, “this is my sister Thea and my girlfriend Laurel Lance. I think you know Mr. Palmer and this is my head of security, John Diggle.”

“Pleasure to meet you all.” The fire chief smiled politely at them. 

At that moment, gun shots rang out, shattering the peaceful mood of the party. Everyone ducked down and everyone ducked down. There was screaming as Darhk and a few Ghosts walked into the room. The security pulled out their guns but Darhk waved his hands and the guns flew out of their hands. 

“Ah, what do we have here?” Darhk picked up a glass of wine and took a sip. “Mmm! Malbec, nice! How’d you know that was my favorite red? So full bodied, so full of life. Unlike your security. In my defense, they fired first. I assume my invitation was lost in the mail,” Darhk chuckled, “I’m only kidding, not my kind of scene anyway. I’m only here to have a word with the man of the hour.”

“What do you want?” Oliver demanded, standing in front of Laurel and Thea protectively.

“Well, something I can’t have apparently,” Darhk said as he walked up to him, “your loyalty, your allegiance. I told you there would be consequences if you refused.”

“I made a bad decision, not these people. Let them go.” Oliver begged.

“I wish I could, I really do. But sometimes the way to teach someone a lesson isn’t too punish them, it’s to punish the one he cares about most. Bye-bye.” 

Darhk walled his hand and Oliver was suddenly thrown through a glass wall. He hit the ground, unconscious and Laurel, Thea, and Diggle tried to rush to him but Darhk’s men blocked their way.

“Take them.” Darhk ordered, sounding board as he took another drink of his glass.

“Oliver, wake up! Oliver!” Ray shook the vigilante awake and Oliver opened his eyes.

“What?” Oliver asked dazed.

“Darhk, he took them. John, Thea and Laurel.” Ray said and Oliver was immediately awake.

“Then let’s get them back,” Oliver stood and up and they walked outside to see Quentin talking to a guard, “what happened?!”

“It was over before it started, they never had a chance. I wanted to help, but then Darhk would know I was with you. Not sure that was the right call.” Quentin said as worry for his daughter flashed through his mind.

“It was,” Oliver said not really listening, “but we need to track Darhk. You need to dig up everything that you can, okay?”

“I’m on it.” Quentin rushed out of there.

“Alex!” Oliver called before turning to his strategist.

“The police are gonna wanna question you.” Alex pointed out.

“Get these people home. If they need medical attention, get it, pay for it out of the campaign fund.” Oliver ordered before walking off.

“What about the police?” Alex asked.

“Stall them!” Oliver called back.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Oliver, we’ll find them.” Ray said as the archer put his bow down after some rough interrogation. 

“Not even the Ghosts know where they are,” Oliver pointed out glumly as he walked away, “this is my fault.”

“How is it your fault?” Ray wondered as he walked after Oliver.

“I’m the one who outed Darhk.” Oliver growled.

“From the way John told it, you all decided that.” Ray pointed out.

“I decided to run for mayor because I can protect myself and I thought they could to!” Oliver ranted.

“You can’t protect everyone Oliver.” Ray told him.

Ray’s phone went off and he pulled it out. His face dropped as he looked at it.

“We just got a tip. About Captain Lance.” Ray said and Oliver sighed.

“He’s our spy,” Oliver said and Ray looked at him sharply, “it’s a long story that I don’t have time for. One Ghost in this city will tell me what I want to know.”

“And if he can’t?” Ray said as Oliver walked away.

“Then I’ll take great pleasure in making him.” Oliver growled as he picked up his bow.

Later, Oliver sat at the table in the lair as Ray and Quentin walled in, Oliver having called them.

“Anything?” Quentin asked hopefully but Oliver shook his head.

“Just a lot of suicidal Ghosts.” Oliver said glumly.

“Honestly husband, how do make things so easy to break into?” Everyone turned to see Nyssa and Sara walk in.

“What are you two doing here?” Oliver asked surprised as he stood up.

“My sister was kidnapped by Damien Darhk. Thanks for telling me, by the way.” Sara snapped as she tossed Oliver something.

“What’s that?” Ray inquired as Oliver caught it.

“Hive used polyphasic-encrypted satellite phones to communicate. That is one of them.” Nyssa explained.

“Where’d you get it?” Quentin inquired.

“I am the demon.” Nyssa said simply.

“Maybe I can use that to track them.” Ray suggested.

“Get on that.” Oliver said as he handed it to Ray.

Darhk’s hideout  
Later

“What are you doing with us?” Laurel demanded as Darhk had her, Thea, and Diggle brought out of their cells and over to some machine with glass doors.

“When the Nazi’s developed gas chambers. I wondered why the world allowed these monsters to exist, to thrive even. But then I realized the world needed them to. Every now and then, the world needs a reset. Oh, and thank your boyfriend, Ms. Lance, for skimming the bay. My men were using it to create a certain algae that let us do this.” Darhk explained as he snapped his fingers.

The machine turned on and gas came out of the vents. The man inside, within moments, went down, dead. Laurel, Thea, and Diggle exchanged glances, knowing this was why they were here. Darhk wanted to get back at Oliver by killing them with these and making Oliver watch.

Arrow Lair  
Same time

“I got it! They’re at an old industrial plant outside Pennytown.” Ray said as he stood up.

“What about me?” Quentin asked.

“You’ll blow your cover with Darhk.” Oliver said immediately.

“If it wasn’t already blown, he wouldn’t have taken Laurel.” Quentin pointed out.

“If Damien Darhk suspected you, you’d know it.” Nyssa pointed out.

“Sit this one out Detective, we got this.” Oliver said as he lifted up his hood.

Darhk’s hideout  
Later

“So, any last words you want me to tell Oliver? I mean, I’m gonna put you in here in just a minute after I track him down, so.” Darhk shrugged.

At that moment, The Cannery Cry pierced the air, sending everyone to their knees. Everyone looked up to see Green arrow standing next to Black Canary. Laurel, Thea, and Diggle looked up in confusion as Green Arrow fired at one of the Ghosts, getting him in the shoulder. As they jumped down, a blue beam came out and hit the chamber, destroying it. The Atom landed on the ground, shaking things up quite literally as another arrow came out and struck another Ghost. Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Nyssa jumped down and the foursome began fending off the Ghosts. 

Darhk and his entourage were just about to leave when a black arrow flew out and hit the ground. They looked up and saw Nyssa blocking their path.

“Ah, Nyssa al Ghul. Or would you prefer Ra’s? Get out of here, I got this.” Darhk told his entourage and they fled.

Nyssa fired at him and he held up his hand, stopping it in mid-air.

“If that didn’t work when your husband tried it, what makes you think it would work with you?” Darhk asked curiously.

Nyssa smirked as the arrow exploded, sending him to the ground. Nyssa rushed forward and into the smoke as she tried to find Darhk but he was nowhere to be seen. Feeling someone behind her, she turned around and saw Darhk there. He moved his arm to the side and Nyssa slammed into the wall.

“You don’t look so bad in my suit.” Laurel noted as she looked over at Black Canary.

“It was mine first sis.” Black Canary smirked.

“Hey, where’s Nyssa?” Atom pointed out and everyone froze. 

“There you go,” Darhk smirked as he magic-choked Nyssa as he lifted her into the air, “your father couldn’t bring himself to kill me when we were young. Looks like you’re paying for his mistake.”

Suddenly, Green Arrow tackled him to the ground and Nyssa fell to the ground as well, gasping as sweet air filled her lungs.

“We shouldn’t leave these guys here.” Thea said as she looked at the people in cells.

“If they’re anything like Darhk’s guy from the gas chamber, we should.” Diggle said grimly.

Suddenly, the alarms blared as the cells opened. The prisoners walked out and surrounded them, none looking particularly friendly.

“They’re definitely like Darhk’s guy in the gas chamber.” Thea said worriedly.

Black Canary and Atom jumped in front of them, taking on multiple guys. Diggle, Laurel, and Thea joined in as well. Gun shots rang out and everyone looked over to see Quentin with a gun, several police officers behind him. He smirked at his daughters before the fight continued.

“Good news,” Darhk said as he used his magic to hold Green Arrow in place, “I’m gonna let you live long enough to watch as I destroy everything about the city you love.”

Nyssa stood up and fired, hitting Darhk in the shoulder with an arrow. Darhk went down, still very much alive. Green arrow fell to the ground and put an explosive on the ground before they two of them ran off. Darhk looked over as they explosive began beeping before it went off.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“You sure Darhk didn’t get out of that place?” Ray asked as he checked the computers.

“Knowing Darhk, he did. He’ll be back.” Oliver said grimly.

“Where are Nyssa and Sara?” Thea asked curiously.

“They said they had to attend to League business.” Laurel explained.

“We’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now.” Diggle said as he checked his watch.

“Late for what?” Oliver asked wearily.

Star City  
Later

“This was all Alex’s idea,” Thea said as Alex led Team arrow through the crowd, “he wanted to show the people that you’re not backing down.”

“All you gotta do is flick a switch and give a speech.” Alex explained.

“We’ll all be waiting for you when you’re done.” Laurel said with a smile.

Oliver smiled as he nodded before walking onto the stage. As he did, the crowd burst into cheers. Oliver gave a polite smile and waved at them before it died down.

“Thank you everyone. Earlier this week, an event just like this was interrupted by terrorists. But all of us here tonight are here to send a very simple message: we are not gonna let darkness win. So we are gonna light a candle together. We have faced dark times in the last few years and it won’t be easy to shine a light through the darkness. But I hope, with your help, I can be the beacon of hope this city needs to finally come out of the darkness.” Oliver before turning on the switch and the Christmas tree lit up as the crowd went wild.

Later, Oliver and Laurel were in a limo as they drove back to the loft. Laurel leaned her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.

“Thank you,” Oliver said and she looked up at him confused, “I’ve been in the darkness so long it’s hard to see anything with light. Except you, you help me see the light. Thank you.”

“You can be this city’s beacon of hope Ollie. If that’s what you need me to be, then I’ll be your beacon.” Laurel said before kissing him.

However, lights shinnied through the windows and they pulled away from each other to see what was going on. They were being surrounded by cars. Oliver and Laurel watched with dread in their stomach as Ghosts got out , carrying assault rifles. They fired and Laurel screamed. And that is when things changed.

Laurel screamed and something happened. Something came out of her mouth, an energy wave like thing and it pushed the door right off, the wave hitting the Ghosts and knocking them out. The others, spooked by what they had just seen, turned and took off. Oliver turned to Laurel, trying to wrap his brain about what had just happened as she simply sat there, appearing to be in shock.


	12. Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Laurel both deal with the aftermath of Darhk's attack. Oliver's anger at Darhk gets the better of him.

Arrow lair  
Night 

“Any luck?” Diggle asked as Oliver walked into the lair.

“Just more Ghosts that would rather die than talk,” Oliver said grimly as he put his bow up before turning around to face Diggle, “nobody is going to give up Darhk. John. I need you to talk to Andy again.”

“Last time Andy and I talked, he wasn’t very cooperative.” Diggle reminded him.

“Darhk has gone to ground and Andy is our best bet at finding him. If I talk to him and he refuses to cooperate, I can’t be held responsible for my actions. Talk to him.” Oliver growled. 

Star City Police Station  
Later 

“Baby how you doing?” Quentin asked and got no response from his daughter.

Ever since the shooting, Laurel had been in a state of shock. She had not responded to either Oliver or Quentin, which caused concern from both men. Oliver had stayed the rest of the night, trying to coax Laurel out of her shock with no luck. Reluctantly, Oliver had left to search for Darhk.

“Baby, when you’re ready to talk, I’m here.” Quentin squeezed her hand before getting up and walking away.

“I screamed,” Laurel spoke up and Quentin stopped, “I screamed…and the car door broke off and body slammed the Ghosts.”

Quentin’s relief was short lived as he processed what his daughter was saying. This was news to him, Oliver certainly hadn’t said anything. Hearing a knock on the door to his office, both of them turned as Oliver walked in.

“Hey,” Oliver greeted Quentin before turning to Laurel, “how are you?”

“I-I don’t understand what happened.” Laurel said as she looked up at her boyfriend. 

“I know, we’ll figure it out, ‘kay?” Oliver said as he took her hands and she nodded unsurely.

“Anything on Darhk?” Laurel asked and he shook his head.

“Nothing yet. I actually need to talk to your dad for a minute if that’s okay.” Oliver said as he looked over at Quentin.

At Laurel’s nod, Oliver and Quentin walked out of the office.

“So you left some stuff out of the police report.” Quentin noted.

“I didn’t think it was a good idea to reveal that my girlfriend might be a Metahuman.” Oliver said and Quentin nodded, conceding.

“Well, tell me now: what happened?” Quentin demanded and Oliver sighed.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it but…when the Ghosts attacked, Laurel screamed. When she did, some sort of…energy, I guess, came out of her mouth. It ripped the car door clean off the car and hit the first group of Ghosts. The other Ghosts got spooked and took off. You know the rest,” Oliver told him and Quentin nodded slowly, “is there any possibility that Laurel could have been affected by the particle accelerator explosion in Central City?”

“No. she wasn’t anywhere near it, she was here in Star City.” Quentin said but Oliver caught a certain look in his eye.

“But you know something, don’t you?” Oliver demanded.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Quentin reminded him and Oliver decided to let it go…for now.

“We’ve played every card on the table...except one. Because when we do, he’ll know that you’ve been working with us.” Oliver told him and Quentin understood immediately.

“You wanna know where I’ve been meeting him.” Quentin said and Oliver nodded.

“You won’t be able to go home; luckily we have space in the bunker. There’s a living quarters.” Oliver told him.

“What about Laurel.” Quentin asked as he looked through the glass and into his office at Laurel, who still seemed out of it.

“Based on what his Ghosts reported to him, I don’t think he’ll go after her again. If he does, then Laurel can come down there to.” Oliver told him and Quentin nodded slowly.

“Office building, eight-hundred thirty second floor Sixth Street, thirtieth floor. Should we tell Laurel?” Quentin asked and Oliver shook his head.

“Look at her, her head’s not in the game. That’ll get her killed if she goes out like that.” Oliver said and Quentin nodded in agreement.

“Okay, but listen: with Laurel out of the game and me watching me back, your team’s gonna get awful small.” Quentin pointed out.

“That won’t matter once Darhk’s off the board.” Oliver growled as he turned to leave.

“So you’re back to dropping bodies?” Quentin questioned and Oliver paused.

“Just this one.” Oliver said before he walked off.

Star City  
Later

Green Arrow moved through the building, his bow drawn with an arrow as he searched for Darhk. However he lowered his bow and replaced his arrow in his quiver when he came across the bodies of a team of Ghosts. Cautiously moving through the room, Green Arrow opened a cabinet to reveal a symbol drawn inn red ink that very well could have been blood: a giant A surrounded by a circle.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“Lonnie Machin,” Oliver brought up the pictures so Thea and Diggle could see, “he symbol that I found in Darhk's lair is consistent with the symbol that Machin left near the bodies of two paramedics a few months ago.”

“Okay but why is Machin targeting Ghosts?” Thea asked confused.

“When he kidnapped Danforth’s daughter, Darhk was the one who gave up his location.” Diggle explained.

“This is payback. Darhk cleared out before Machin got there; he’s one step ahead of Machin. But Machin is one step ahead of us.” Oliver explained.

“Well, I’ll go chip away at my stone wall.” Diggle said before walking off to interrogate Andy again.

Star City Police Department  
Same time

“Any leads on Darhk?” Laurel asked as she walked up to Quentin at his desk.

“I gave Oliver a lead earlier. Are you okay sweetie?” Quentin asked as he looked up at her.

“I just…I don’t understand what happened. I’m not a Metahuman, I know I’m not.” Laurel said confused.

“Sit down sweetie,” Quentin sighed and Laurel did as she gazed at her father uncertainly, “back when your mom and I were still in college, her dad, your grandfather, told me a story, an old family legend. Back in the Middle Ages, one of your ancestors, a man with a wife and daughter, stole from a sorcerer. The Sorcerer placed a curse on his wife and daughter in retaliation. Every time the two would scream, glass would break, stone walls would fall apart, and people would be blasted away. And it wasn’t just them, their children and their children’s children had the same affliction. I thought it was just a story at the time but if what Oliver told me was true…maybe there is some truth to it.” 

“So what, I’m cursed.” Laurel said confused.

“I don’t know but it seems a little coincidental, doesn’t it?” Quentin asked before his phone went off. “Huh.”

“What?” Laurel asked confused.

“I got a lead on the Hive crime scene. Turns out, the blood Machin used didn’t come from Ghosts.” Quentin explained.

Arrow liar  
Later

“Michael and Crystal Olguin, Machin’s old foster parents. The disappeared three days ago. Machin is settling old scores, he painted their blood at Hive so Darhk is probably next on his list.” Oliver explained to Diggle and Thea.

“Machin’s gotta be laying low somewhere, right? What about his old house? I mean, it’s gotta be vacant, right?” Thea pointed out.

Oliver turned and walked over to the computer, sitting down and typing rapidly. After a few moments, security footage of a house was brought up on the screen.

“Who’s that?” Thea asked as they saw someone moving towards the house.

“It’s him. Suit up.” Oliver ordered.

Star City  
Later

“Well, that’s not at all creepy.” Speedy said lowly as she and Green Arrow looked at pictures on the wall where the faces were scratched to the point where you couldn’t make them out. 

“Fronts clear.” Green Arrow said over the comms.

“Same for the back. Only thing here is some trash and a lot of mess,” Spartan told him before pausing, “hold on, I think I hear something.”

Together, the three vigilantes converge in the living room. Machin is on the couch, wearing a plastic mask as he watches TV. The three walked up behind the couch and Machin stands up with his hands in the air.

“Well this is a surprise,” Machin said as he turned around, “I was expecting Mr. Darhk’s friends but you’ll d. especially you dear.”

“Wait.” Green Arrow said as Speedy’s hand moved towards her quiver.

“Funny, I was gonna tell you the same thing.” Machin ducked as a cabinet above the TV opened up, revealing two guns. 

Team Arrow scattered throughout the room as they gun turned towards them and opened fire. Speedy ran off after Machin as the guns whirled around the room when Green Arrow and Spartan tried to follow.

“It’s a motion sensor.” Spartan pointed out to Green Arrow. 

Green Arrow nodded as he notched an arrow. He peaked out and fired. The arrow hit an electronical device above the guns, no doubt its power source. It sparked and the guns stopped.

“Good.” Green Arrow said lowly.

The pair rushed out of the room and into the kitchen to see Speedy standing in front of Machin.

“Stay away from her!” Spartan pushed Speedy back and stepped in front of her protectively.

“Oh, I would never hurt her. You on the other hand.” Machin took out a pistol.

Green Arrow fired, his arrow knocking the pistol out of Machin’s hand. Green Arrow then rushed at Machin, kicking him in the chest. Machin fell into a bag of trash, appearing unconscious.

“You okay?” Green arrow called back to Speedy.

“Yeah.” She assured him.

“Now what?” Spartan asked.

“We find out what he knows.” Green Arrow said grimly.

Star City  
Later

“Aren’t we risking some crazy Bond villain stupidity here? I mean, he needs to be locked away.” Speedy said as she and Green Arrow stood across from Machin, who was tied to a stone pillar.

“He found Darhk’s base of operations, without any help. We need to find out how and where Darhk is right now.” Green Arrow said firmly.

“He’s crazier than Malcolm, why would you believe anything he’d say?” Speedy demanded.

“Because I don’t have any other choice. Now I am done talking about this,” Green Arrow snapped before walking over to Machin, “give me the room. Wake up, where’s Damien Darhk.”

“He’s at home; I was planning a party for him when you interrupted me.” Machin mocked.

Snarling angrily, Green Arrow struck him across the face with his bow and Machin howled in pain. 

“Tell me where he is!” Green Arrow growled.

“Or what?! Look at me, what could you possibly do to me that I haven’t already enjoyed?” Machin smiled crazily.

Sneering, Green Arrow took out an arrow from his quiver. He was about to fire when-

“Stop!”

Startled, Green Arrow turned to see Black Canary walked into the room. Stunned, he lowered his bow. With an angry look, Black Canary gestured to another part of the parking garage and walked over, Green Arrow following behind herm ore slowly.

“What are you doing?” Black Canary asked once they were far enough away that the others couldn’t hear.

“Getting answers about Darhk.” Green Arrow said simply.

“Ollie, not like this. I know you’re angry about what’s happened, what Darhk did, but this isn’t the way.” She tried to tell him.

“It’s not just that. I feel like, I could have beaten Darhk by now but…I just haven’t been prepared to go far enough.” Green Arrow admitted.

“Ollie, you-hey!” Black Canary’s cry caused Green Arrow to whirl around.

“Speedy, stop!” Green Arrow cried out as he saw his sister press an arrow against Machin’s neck.

Hearing the sirens, Speedy lowered the arrow and the three vigilantes turned and fled.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“What were you thinking?!” Laurel demanded as they arrived back in the lair.

“I wasn’t gonna kill him.” Thea snapped.

“Really, because that’s exactly what it looked like from I was standing.” Laurel snapped back.

“He got in my head okay?! But I wasn’t gonna kill him.” Thea told Laurel.

“Uh, guys?” The two turned to Diggle. “I’m not sure what’s going on…but where’s Oliver?”

Startled, the two turned around to see Diggle was right: Oliver was not in the lair.

Star City  
Same time

A police transfer car was driving when an arrow suddenly struck it in the front, causing it to pull to a stop. Getting behind the truck, Green Arrow fired at the truck, knocking the back doors off. Machin then jumped out, squinting at him.

“Long time no see.” Machin noted.

“We didn’t finish our conversation.” Green Arrow told him.

“And what, I’m supposed to be so grateful I just give up what I know about where Darhk is? Not. Likely.” Machin smarted off.

Green Arrow notched another arrow and Machin raised his arms warily. Green Arrow fired and his arrow broke Machin’s handcuffs.

“You make sure he’s dead.” Green Arrow ordered before walking off.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Have you lost your mind?” Laurel demanded as Oliver walked inside.

“I did what was necessary after you made it so,” Oliver said and Laurel looked at him confused, “SCPD only found Machin because you told them where I was holding him.”

“You were only holding a man prisoner because you’re angry about what happened. I love too much to see you self-destruct over a personal vendetta.” Laurel told him.

“Do you have any idea how many people Darhk and Hive have killed over the last six months? It may be a vendetta but it’s not personal.” Oliver said as he turned away from her.

“Even you don’t believe that, so don’t expect me to. Ollie, you’re self-destructing over what happened and don’t try and deny it, I know you better than that.” Laurel told him and he was silent for a moment. 

“I can’t help but think that the reason Darhk is winning is because I haven’t been willing to go far enough. I don’t know what the point of what I’m doing as Green Arrow is…if I can’t even protect the people closest to me.” Oliver finally admitted.

“Ollie, what happened wasn’t your fault. You can’t keep punishing yourself and those around you for things outside of your control. This was not your fault, okay?” Laurel said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Okay.” Oliver said, her words giving him a feeling of a great weight being lifted.

“Hey,” Diggle said as he walked in, “am I interrupting?”

“No,” Oliver said as they turned towards him, “Anything from Andy?”

“He gave me a location where Darhk usually meets. I thought it was a dead-end ‘til I cross referenced it and found a residential address.”

“We know where Darhk lives.” Laurel realized.

“Suit up.” Oliver ordered.

Star City  
Later

“Hey, you sure you’re okay? You were pretty out of it earlier.” Green Arrow asked Black Canary concerned.

“I’m fine.” She assured.

“We’re sure Machin is here?” Speedy asked before they saw his symbol on the drive way.

“Oh yeah.” Black Canary muttered. 

“You two.” Green Arrow gestured to the back of the house and Black Canary and Spartan nodded.

While those two went for the back, Green Arrow and Speedy walked through the front door. Walking into the sitting room, they saw Machin holding a flamethrower near the face of a young girl while an older woman, obviously her mother, watched in horror. Green Arrow fired, his arrow hitting the flamethrower. The flames went out as the gas was drained from it.

“Get on the ground!” Green Arrow barked and Machin sighed in irritation. 

“First you catch me, then you break me out, and now you’re here to catch me again. Make up your mind.” Machin snapped as he turned around to face them. 

“Sick ‘em.” Green Arrow ordered and Speedy fired.

Machin took out a pair of Kamas, using one to deflect Speedy’s arrow. The three them lunged at each other, Machin using his Kamas to deflect the two archers as they tried to strike him with their bows. While this was going on, Black Canary and Spartan snuck in and over to the mother and daughter.

“Get them out of here!” Green Arrow ordered.

While their allies freed the hostages and got them out, Green arrow and Speedy continued to engage Machin. Machin, with two precise strikes, was able to knock both archers off their feet. They landed on the ground and Green Arrow looked up to see Machin fleeing out the back door. The two archers shot to their feet and ran out the door but Machin was nowhere in sight.

“Split up.” Green Arrow ordered and Speedy nodded.

Speedy ran off to another part of the grounds as Green Arrow walked forward, looking for Machin. However, he froze and looked off to the side. He felt a swell of fury and hatred as he saw Damien Darhk. With a roar of rage,, Green Arrow rushed at Darhk. The two engaged each over, Green Arrow whirling around, dodging Darhk’s fist before striking Darhk across the face with the end of his bow. Green Arrow dodged Darhk’s punches before slugging him, sending Darhk to his knees. Darhk stood up, holding his nose as he glared at the archer. Using his magic, Darhk snatched an arrow from Green Arrow’s quiver before hitting him in the shoulder with it. Crying out in pain, Green arrow sensed another strike and quickly caught it in mid-air.

“I don’t think so.” Green Arrow growled.

“Where is my family?!” Darhk demanded and Green Arrow remembered the woman and child from before, feeling as though the universe was laughing at him.

“I saved them.” Green Arrow told him with a hint of self-disgust.

“I wanna be clear about something,” Darhk walked forward after a moment, “I have shown you repeatedly you cannot beat me. You saved my family, so I’ll give you a few weeks to spend with yours. Enjoy your time, what’s left of it.”

Green Arrow watched with contempt as Darhk then turned and walked off.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Are Darhk’s wife and daughter in police custody?” Oliver asked as he walked into the lair.

“They told police they weren’t his wife and daughter,” Diggle began and Quentin shook his head as Oliver looked at him with disbelief, “had a fake ID and everything.”

“Speedy,” Oliver said after a moment, “you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just sorry I let Machin get away.” Thea apologized.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I’m gonna…head home.” Oliver said before he turned and walked off, everyone watching in concern.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, next day  
Early morning

“You never came to bed last night,” Laurel said as she walked into the sitting room to see Oliver sitting on the couch, “Have you been up all night?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Oliver said simply.

“Ollie…are you okay?” Laurel sat down next to him and Oliver laughed humorlessly.

“Here you are worried about me while you’re probably going through an identity crisis. How are you doing?” Oliver looked over at Laurel.

“I’m fine, honestly. I was pretty freaked out at first but…I’m coping. Are you?” Laurel asked concerned and Oliver sighed.

“Darhk gave us a few weeks before he comes back, then it’s back in business.” Oliver told her what he had kept from the others.

“And when he does, we’ll be ready,” Laurel promised as she put her hand on the side of his face and made him look at her, “together?”

“Together.” Oliver agreed before they shared a kiss.


	13. Shadows of the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow goes up against an organization with ties to Diggle's brother, Andy. While going through counseling with Laurel, Oliver makes a stunning revelation about his childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you all had a merry Christmas. Or if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you all had a good holiday. I meant to have this up yesterday but it didn’t turn out that way. So, here is a belated Christmas gift from me to all of you.
> 
> Before we get into it, I would like to thank Phillipe363 for an idea for including a certain character. You’ll figure it out as you read.

Arrow Lair

Night

 

“And they just left you there?” Laurel asked as Team Arrow, plus Lyla, stood in the lair.

 

“Yeah, but not before leaving me with this.” Diggle grimaced as he looked at his wounded arm.

 

“And we are sure this wasn’t Hive?” Oliver inquired.

 

“These men looked military.” Lyla dismissed.

 

“Yeah, but you said that Chang said he was compromised and he specifically told you to go and speak with Waller.” Oliver pointed out.

 

“Knowing Waller, she had Alan doing something off the books,” Lyla said before looking over at Diggle, “I need to call the sitter.”

 

“Okay.” Diggle said as Lyla walked off.

 

“We need to find Chang before this kidnapping becomes something worse.” Oliver ordered.

 

“Well, the van didn’t have plates on it. And Chang’s phone was Argus issued, which means it’s untraceable.” Diggle said grimly.

 

“Laurel, go to your father, see if the bullets John was shot with are connected to any ongoing cases. Thea, go check the crime scene, see if we missed anything.” Oliver ordered.

 

“Where do you want me?” Diggle asked as the two walked off.

 

“Maybe you should go to Starling General, have that checked out.” Oliver gestured to Diggle’s wounded arm.

 

“I’ll be fine.” Diggle insisted as he picked up a bag of Big Belly Burger and a soda.

 

“Because a cheeseburger is a better option?” Oliver asked sarcastically.

 

“It’s not for me, it’s for Andy.” Diggle said as he walked off.

 

_Counselor’s office, weeks ago_

_Afternoon_

_“So, Mr. Queen, Ms. Lance, can you tell me what brings you here today?” Dr. Annie Green asked them as she sat across from them._

_“Everything we say in here is confidential, right?” Oliver asked as he and Laurel exchange a brief glance._

_“Absolutely.” Dr. Green promised._

_“I have a son from a previous…relationship.” Oliver said uneasily as he saw Laurel become uncomfortable._

_“And this brings you here?” Dr. Green asked confused._

_“Because at the time of my son’s conception, we were still together.” Oliver said awkwardly and Dr. Green’s eyes lit up with understanding._

_“I see. Well, if I may be so bold, from what I understand from the news tabloids, you used to cheat on MS. Lance quite a bit.” Dr. Green said gently and Oliver and Laurel avoided looking at each other._

_“Yes.” Oliver said shame and self-loathing in his eyes._

_“Can I ask why you cheated?” Dr. Green inquired._

_“Because it’s what men do,” Oliver said immediately and Laurel looked over at him, seeing Oliver blink and looking confused, “I-I don’t know why I said that.”_

Star City

Night

“Laurel Lance, District Attorney’s office,” Laurel held out her badge to the officer’s as she walked onto the crime scene, “what do we have here?”

 

“Deceased male, about forty-five, Asian. Multiple lacerations, contusions, and blunt force trauma.” One of the officers said.

 

“You canvas the area yet?” Laurel inquired.

 

“I don’t need a DA to tell me how to do my job.” The officer said annoyed.

 

“And I’m sure a murderer out there appreciates your lack of initiative.” Laurel said sarcastically.

 

Glowering at Laurel’s back, the two officers turned and stormed off. Once they were gone, Laurel gestured forward and Diggle walked out of the shadows. Diggle knelt down next to the body and lifted up the sheet, getting a closer look at it.

 

“Private security found him at the start of graveyard shift.” Laurel told him.

 

“That’s Chang,” Diggle said as he saw the face, “whoever did this took their time. Multiple lacerations to the knees, a broken arm, at least three pulled finger nails.”

 

“They were torturing him for something.” Laurel noted.

 

“Information wasn’t the only thing they wanted.” Diggle said as he stood up, pulling off the sheet.

 

Laurel looked down and saw Chang was missing an eye ball.

 

Arrow Lair

Later

 

“So this Waller person said she couldn’t tell you anything and then gave you a flash drive?” Thea asked confused as Lyla plugged in a flash drive to the lair’s computer system.

 

“Argus is under twenty-four hour surveillance; she didn’t want anyone to know what she was giving me.” Lyla explained.

 

“The question is what did she give you?” Laurel said as the file opened up.

 

“I’ve seen that symbol before.” Oliver noted as he spotted a black and red spear head on the screen.

 

“It’s a logo actually; Shadowspire is a U.S. army Special Forces unit. Argus took them down three years ago when they were exposed as war profiteers. In an OP run by Alan Chang.” Lyla explained.

 

“What about those other two guys?” Thea asked as they looked at the other pictures on the screen.

 

“They’ve both been missing for two days.” Lyla explained.

 

“If those were the missing agents that were a part of Shadowspire-” Laurel began.

 

“Then the rest of Shadowspire is gonna be on a payback mission.” Oliver finished.

 

“We need to find the others before they end up like Alan.” Lyla said as she stood up.

 

“Hey, I found something on that symbol.” Diggle said as he walked in, files in his hands.

 

“Shadowspire.” Lyla said and Diggle nodded.

 

“I thought it looked familiar, I ran into a lot of those guys in Afghanistan. I need to talk to my brother again.” Diggle asked grimly.

 

_Counselor’s office, last week_

_Afternoon_

_“Mr. Queen, if I may, I would like to put you under hypnosis. There is a reason that you keep saying ‘it’s what men do’ when asked why you cheated. I hope to reveal that reason.”  Dr. Green said as she took out a pocket watch._

_Oliver looked uneasy, not liking the idea. Laurel reached out and took his hand, offering him an encouraging smile. Oliver nodded slowly and Dr. Green let the pocket watch begin swinging back and forth._

_“I watch you to watch my watch. There is nothing but the watch. Then, you feel yourself going back, back to the moment you first decided that men cheat because it’s what men do,” Dr. Green said and Oliver was silent the entire time as Laurel watch, al little uneasy now, “now, Oliver, can you tell me where you are?”_

_“My family’s Christmas party, the year my sister was born.” Oliver said in a blank voice._

_“Good. What do you see, what are you doing?” Dr. Green asked curiously._

_“I’m walking up the stairs; I’m looking for the bathroom. I hear a noise, I go to investigate. The noise is coming from my father’s study. I walk towards it, my hand reaching out for the door handle. I open it.”_

_Oliver suddenly stopped, his hands digging into the arm rests of his chair. Exchanging a concerned look with Dr. Green, Laurel reached out and placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. Suddenly, Oliver reached out and grabbed her arm, flipping Laurel and throwing her on the floor. Dr. Green jumped to her feet as Laurel stared up at Oliver who had a blank look in his eyes._

_“Oliver, wake up. You will wake up!” Dr. Green shouted and Oliver blinked, looking around._

 

_“What happened?” Oliver asked before seeing Laurel. “Laurel? What did I…”_

_“Sometimes, the mind can react violently when confronted with traumatic memories.” Dr. Green said as Laurel stood up._

_“It’s okay Ollie, you didn’t hurt me. It’s okay.” Laurel said as she put a hand on the side of Oliver’s face._

Star City

Night

 

“It’s called a Freeport. Commodities while they're in transit between international destinations. Pretty low-end.” Spartan explained as Team Arrow stood outside the warehouse.

 

“It looks they upgraded the security system.” Speedy noted.

 

“Motion sensors, trip wires, digital locks.” Green Arrow observed.

 

“I think I know someone who can help.” Black Canary announced.

 

Palmer Tech

Same time

 

“Okay, and that should go there,” Ray muttered as he worked on improving his suit when his phone rang, “ Answer. Yeah?”

 

“Ray, I know you’re probably busy, but we could use you’re help right now.” Oliver’s voice echoed throughout the room.

 

“Sure, what do you need?” Ray asked as he put down the suit and picked up the phone,  taking it off speaker.

 

“We’ve come up against some tech, the kind that you typically eat for breakfast.”

 

Oliver told him.

 

“Where are you?” Ray said as he got to his computer.

 

“Pacific Port.” Oliver told him.

 

“’Kay, hold on a sec and...security’s down,” Ray said triumphantly as the inside came up on his screen,, “and you got about seven thugs guarding what looks like some sort of container.”

 

Star City

Same time

 

The door burst open and the guards whirled around as Spartan fired, taking out the guards.

 

“One of the containers is inferred, I’m trying to open it.” Ray said over the comms.

 

“Worry about the hostages, we got the rest.” Green Arrow ordered as Team Arrow moved out.

 

“Containers open, ten feet on your right.” Ray said after a moment.

 

“We got it!” Black Canary said as she and Speedy ran up to it.

 

Green Arrow fired an arrow as Spartan fired back at Shadowspire.

 

“we found the two Argus agents, they’re both dead.” Black Canary said as she opened the container to reveal two dead bodies.

 

“Get out of here then.” Green Arrow ordered.

 

“What about you and Spartan?” Black Canary asked concerned.

 

“Don’t worry about us, go!” Green Arrow barked.

 

Reluctantly, Black Canary and Speedy turned and fled. Green Arrow and Spartan were walking through the warehouse when a steel door slammed into the middle of the room, separating them.

 

“Atom, what’s going on?” Green Arrow demanded.

 

“I tripped some sort of failsafe, I’m working on it.” Ray said as he typed.

 

“Work faster.” Green Arrow growled as he heard gunfire.

 

“Look, this isn’t your typical firewall, this is Argus level stuff.” Ray snapped.

 

“Forget it, we don’t have time for this.” Green Arrow said as he notched an explosive arrow.

 

Firing, it hit the door and explodes, producing a rather large hole in the door. Seeing Spartan surrounded, Green Arrow fired, taking them down before jumping out the door, slugging the last man standing. He then helped Spartan up and they were out of there.

 

Arrow Lair

Later

 

“You want to talk about it?” Laurel asked as she and Oliver stopped their spar.

 

“What is there to talk about? Ray couldn’t stop their failsafe, which means there almost impossible to hack, and I can’t do anything about it.” Oliver grunted as he took off his box gloves.

 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Laurel said softly.

 

“Everything that’s happened is my fault. Last month, when we went up against Vandal Savage, Barry traveled through time and changed the past.” Oliver revealed.

 

“Wait, what?” Laurel said, shock and confusion flooding through her.

 

“Barry can travel through time,” Oliver said casually before continuing, “He warned me that when you change the past, the past fights back. For the last month, I have been tortured with the idea that what happened to you, John, and Thea happened because I wouldn’t listen to him.”

 

“And you’ve been blaming yourself all this time? Ollie, the only person to blame for all this is Damien Darhk. You can’t control what could or should happen.” Laurel said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but his phone rang at that exact moment. Oliver pulled away from her and pulled out; answering it as he saw it was Diggle.

 

“John? We’re on it,” Oliver said as he hung up, “john think’s they’re going after a shipment of railguns. Call Thea.”

 

“Ollie, you can’t control every action. It always has an equal and opposite reaction.” Laurel told him.

 

Silently, Oliver nodded before walking off.

 

Star City

Later

 

“Waller says Shadowspire is going after those trucks,” Green Arrow told Speedy and Black Canary from their vantage point, which take off in less than an hour.”

 

“What does Shadowspire want with a whole shipment of railguns?” Speedy wondered.

 

“Absolutely nothing good.” Black Canary said grimly.

 

After a while, with nothing happening, they began growing uneasy.

 

“Where are they?” Speedy asked.

 

“Something’s wrong.” Green Arrow realized.

 

Arrow lair

Later

 

“Anything from John?” Laurel asked as Oliver hung up his phone.

 

“No, it goes straight to voice mail.” Oliver said before the computer started beeping.

 

The trio walked over as an image from a security came took up the screen. Thea gasped as Oliver and Laurel stared in horror at the image of Waller and Lyla being held at gunpoint.

 

Argus Base

Later

 

Green Arrow, Speedy, and Black Canary jumped down onto the floor.

 

“Atom, you there?” Green Arrow called out as they moved out.

 

“Yeah, just a second. You’re in.” Ray said as the doors opened.

 

Team Arrow made their way through the base, taking out all the opposition they came across. Entering the room, they saw Lyla and Diggle held hostage while Andy wrestled with one of the Shadowspire agents. Black Canary screamed and her Canary cry blasted most of the agents out of the room. Green Arrow jumped after one while the others engaged the rest of Shadowspire. In no time at all, Shadowspire was defeated. Seeing Lyla and Diggle hug, Green Arrow suddenly stiffened. Seeing the state of her boyfriend, black Canary walked over to him.

 

“Are you okay?” She asked concerned.

 

“I-I remember.” Green Arrow muttered.

 

Counselor’s office, next day

Afternoon

 

“It was my father in that room,” Oliver said as he and Laurel sat down across from Dr. Green, “he was…screwing his secretary. When he saw me, he sent her off, fired her a few days later. He told me never to tell anyone what I’d seen. But I couldn’t because I didn’t remember.”

 

“The incident was too much for your mind to handle at such a young age, so you repressed it. But subconsciously, you remembered it.” Dr. Green said knowingly and Oliver sighed as he nodded.

 

“Ever since I was young enough to have a crush, there has always been this voice in the back of my head, telling me ‘men cheat because it’s what we do. We hurt the one love.’” Oliver remembered.

 

“Do you believe that now?” Dr. Green asked and Oliver shook his head.

 

“No. My father cheated on my mother because he was…not a good man. But I’m not him.” Oliver said as he looked over at Laurel.

 

“I know you’re not Ollie.” Laurel said as she took his hand.

 

At that moment, Oliver’s phone went off. Oliver picked it up, about to turn it off, when he swathe message. He paled as he shot to his feet.

 

“Dr. Green, I’m sorry to do this, but we’re gonna have to cut this short.” Oliver said as he pocketed hos phone.

 

“Ollie, what is it?” Laurel asked concerned as she stood up.

 

“It’s Thea.” Oliver said worry for his sister shinning in his eyes.


	14. Helping Thea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Thea's health declines, Nyssa offers a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally, this was going to be longer as we dealt with how Darhk went to prison, but I decided that deserved its own chapter. So, this really ends up being more of a filler chapter that shows how they deal with Thea’s pit related health problems. I hope you enjoy it.

Starling General Hospital  
Afternoon

“Hey, what happened?” Oliver asked as he and Laurel walked up to Diggle in the hall.

“I don’t know. We were in the lair, training and she just collapsed.” Diggle explained bewildered.

“I think I have the answer.”

The three whirled around to see Sara standing behind them. Laurel, overjoyed to see her sister, embraced her.

“What do you mean?” Oliver demanded as Laurel stepped back.

“Nyssa and I have been researching the pit’s side-effects. We found out that the pit’s power comes at a greater cost than we first thought. The bloodlust is part of a deal: in exchange for life, those who bath in the waters must kill to bring more souls as offers to the pit. If not, what the pit gave, it will take back.” Sara explained and everyone froze as they realized what Sara was saying.

“Sara…are you saying that my sister is dying because she won’t kill?” Oliver asked, silently pleading with her to tell him it wasn’t true.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. I’m sorry Ollie.” Sara said sadly.

“But you’re not suffering these affects.” Diggle pointed out.

“Constantine used his magic to cure me of it; Thea has had no such luck.” Sara explained.

“But…she was doing fine until now?” Laurel said confused.

“When you went to rescue Dig’s brother, Damien Darhk tried to drain the life from Thea but it didn’t work, instead it removed the bloodlust temporarily.” Sara explained.

“How do you know this?” Diggle asked suspiciously.

“After it happened, Thea reached out to Nyssa. She wanted her help in trying to make the effects permanent, which we haven’t had any success with yet.” Sara explained.

“Then we need to find Damien Darhk, have him do this to Thea again.” Oliver ordered, desperate.

“Ollie, even if we found him in a very cooperative mood, we haven’t been able to track down Darhk or Hive in months.” Laurel reminded him.

Oliver opened his mouth to argue when his phone went off. Grumbling, Oliver dug it out and answered it.

“What? Alex now is not a good time…what? Okay, I’ll be right there.” Oliver sighed as he hung up.

“Is everything okay?” Laurel asked concerned.

“Alex said the campaign just got thrown a curve ball. I’ll be back later, keep an eye on Thea.” Oliver ordered before walking off.

Thea’s hospital room  
Night

“So Ruve Darhk is running for Mayor?” Laurel asked stunned as Team Arrow, plus Sara, sat around Thea’s bed.

“Darhk must be getting nervous.” Thea said weakly as she opened her eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Oliver said as he took Thea’s hand.

“Well, I’m alright for, you know, dying.” Thea attempted to joke.

“There is a way to prevent that.” Everyone looked up to see Nyssa step out of the shadows.

“How?” Oliver demanded as he stood up.

“My father told me of an elixir called the lotus. It will counter the effects of the Lazarus pit.” Nyssa explained as she pulled out a syringe with a dark blue liquid visible through the glass.

“You’re sure this will work?” Laurel asked skeptically.

“If I was not, I would not have brought it to you.” Nyssa assured them.

“Are there any side-effects?” Oliver demanded.

“If it doesn’t work, then I’m dead either way,” Thea said weakly then frown as Oliver and Sara both laughed humorlessly, “something funny?”

“You remember the last time someone told us that?” Oliver asked as he looked over at Sara.

“Yeah. Slade, right before we injected him with the Mirakuru.” Sara remembered.

“So I will ask again, are there any side-effects?” Oliver asked as he looked over at Nyssa.

“No.” Nyssa said firmly.

Satisfied, Oliver walked over and took the syringe. Walking over to Thea’s bed side, he gently took her arm and, finding a vein, stuck the needle in. everyone watched with baited breath as Oliver injected the blue liquid into her. As Oliver pulled the syringe out of her, Thea shuttered and let out a shaky breath.

“Thea?” Oliver asked worriedly.

“I-I feel great.” Thea smiled and Oliver let out a sigh of relief as everyone surrounded her.


	15. Taking the fight to Darhk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an attempt on Quentin's life, Oliver decides enough is enough and recruits Nyssa and Sara to take the fight to Darhk.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft  
Night

“Hey, how’s it going?” Thea asked as she walked into the loft to see her brother going through some boxes.

“Planning a party is not as easy as it seems,” Oliver said dryly as he looked up, “so what’s up?”

“Well, Alex got a call from one of the lawyers doing a search the opposition. And it looks like they might have found something.” Thea began.

“On Ruve?” Oliver inquired.

“On you actually,” Thea said awkwardly and Oliver raised an eyebrow, “in 2013, homeland security did a tax audit after the Undertaking and it looks like mom wrote a million dollar check to some woman named Samantha Clayton. Alex flagged it as something weird for us.”

“I’ve…actually wanted to talk to you about this but I haven’t the time with Darhk and Hive and running for mayor,” Oliver said and Thea looked at him confused, “you might want to sit down.”

“I think I’ll stand. What is going on Ollie?” Thea demanded and Oliver sighed.

“You know that I wasn’t the most faithful boyfriend to Laurel,” Oliver said and Thea nodded, “well, Samantha was one of the girls I cheated with. She fell pregnant and then told me that she lost the baby before moving to Central City.”

“Ollie, I’m so sorry.” Thea said as she put a hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, there’s no reason to be sorry. When we were in central City a few months ago, I saw Samantha with a boy about nine. I had Barry run a DNA test, he’s mine,” Oliver said and Thea started at him in shock, “it turns about that mom paid Samantha to tell me she lost the baby, then move to Central City and never speak to me again.”

“That’s why you and Laurel have been going back and forth between Central City.” Thea realized and Oliver nodded, “I’m an Aunt.”

“You’re an Aunt.” Oliver grinned.

“So, when do I get meet him?” Thea asked and Oliver Grimaced.

“That’s…complicated. Samantha doesn’t want him getting overwhelmed by all…this,” Oliver waved his arm around the loft, “and I can’t exactly disagree with her. We agreed that we would introduce William into our world gradually. Soon, okay?”

Star City  
Same time

Quentin walked into a seemingly abandoned building, having gotten a call. Laurel watched from the car as her dad disappeared into the building, worry in her eyes.

“SCPD! Anyone here?” Quentin called out as he entered the building, gun drawn.

Hearing no response, Quentin moved through the building. Finding nothing, Quentin put away his gun. Taking out his phone, he dialed a number and out it to his ear.

“Yeah, this is Lance. Get me dispatch.” Quentin ordered.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, there was a rumble in the building. Quentin lowered his phone as he looked around before the floor beneath him gave way. He fell, losing his phone in the process, and landed hard on the next floor.

“Dad!” Quentin looked up as Laurel reached him.

“I told you to stay in the car.” Quentin said gruffly as she helped him to his feet.

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Laurel told him.

Further conversation was interrupted as the building started to come down around them. Father and daughter ran, trying to find a way out. Laurel briefly considered her Canary Cry to break out but dismissed it, figuring it would cause further damage and might make the building come down on them faster. They managed to get out just before the building completely collapsed.

“Are you alright? What was that?” Laurel asked her father.

“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s like the building attacked me but that’s not possible…is it?” Quentin asked as he looked over at Laurel.

Arrow lair  
Later

“Are you two alright?” Oliver paced back and forth as Diggle stitched up the wound on Quentin’s neck.

“Yeah,” Quentin said as he and Diggle stood up, “it’s just, it was like the big bad wolf huffed and puffed or something.”

“This wolf being Darhk.” Laurel muttered.

“Alright, that’s it,” Oliver declared as everyone turned to him, “it’s just…that’s it.”

“Ollie!” Laurel called out but he ignored her as he turned and stormed out.

“You think he’s alright?” Thea asked concerned.

“Nope,” Diggle said and they looked over at him, last time I saw that look on his face was when I found a recording of Moira revealing the Gambit was sabotaged…right before The Hood paid her a visit.” 

“Oh man, this is bad.” Quentin said as Laurel shot him a look, “what? You’re all thinking it, I’m just saying it.”

Star City  
Later 

Oliver stood on a roof top, waiting. He didn’t have to wait long.

“You wished to speak?” Nyssa asked as she and Sara stepped out of the shadows.

“There was an attempted by Darhk on Captain Lance’s life tonight, Laurel got caught up in it,” Oliver said before noting the worry in the eyes of both women, “they’re both fine but Captain Lance is no longer safe and this is the third time Laurel has been in danger because of Darhk in half as many months. I say enough is enough.”

“Ollie, what are you saying?” Sara inquired.

“I say it’s time we take the fight to Darhk. If my team and the League work together, then we should be able to stop Darhk.” Oliver said boldly.

“I agree,” Nyssa said after a moment, “Damien Darhk has made his final mistake.”

Arrow lair  
Later

“He’s not answering,” Laurel put her phone down as she looked over at the others.

“Okay, I’m worried.” Thea admitted.

“Don’t be,” everyone looked up in shock as Oliver walked in with Sara, Nyssa, and six assassins, “I’m fine.”

“Um, hey Sara, Nyssa,” Thea waved awkwardly to the two women as everyone eyed the assassins, “Ollie, what’s going on?”

“What’s going on is I’ve had enough. For months now, Darhk has come at us from all sides and we don’t do anything about it because we don’t use our best ally: The League of Assassins. Well, now we are. We’re going after Darhk, tonight.”

“Oliver, I thought we were doing things differently.” Diggle reminded him.

“And what’s the point of that if the ones we love get killed in the process? We can worry about fighting in the light of day once we take care of Darhk. You got a problem with that; you know where the door is,” No one made a move to leave, “Good. Let’s get started.”

“Well, first we need to figure out what caused that building to collapse.” Thea pointed out.

“It was a group of mercenaries hired by Darhk. My assassins have already apprehended them and delivered them to the SCPD.” Nyssa revealed.

“…wow.” Diggle said lamely.

“That just leaves going after Darhk,” Oliver said as he walked over to the computer, “Ray has a search algorithm searching the city for possible locations and we have more of the League searching as well. We’ll have something.”

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a phone went off. Nyssa pulled out a cell phone and had a brief conversation in Arabic.

“My assassins have found him.” Nyssa announced once the call was over.

“Everyone suit up, it’s time to end this.” Oliver said grimly.

Star City  
Later

Four Ghosts stood guard on a rooftop when Green Arrow landed on it behind them. The archer easily dispatches them as another one sneaks up behind him. However, before he can shoot, an arrow hits him in the shoulder. On another rooftop, Nyssa smirks beneath her hood.

On a lower floor, Black Canary and Speedy walked out a door and see multiple Ghosts. Speedy fired, hitting one in the shoulder. He goes down as Black Canary took out her side batons and rushed two Ghosts, engaging them while Speedy engaged another.

Damien Darhk was standing in a room when a window shattered as someone burst through it. He smirked as he turned around to face the Green Arrow.

“Why hello. You know, you might want to be a little more discreet. Have you ever considered black instead of green?” Darhk asked.

Darhk suddenly whirled around to see The Canary coming at him with her baton. He raised a hand and she suddenly froze mid-strike.

“Sara is it? Your daddy used to work for me. I told him I’d kill Laurel if he betrayed me, but you’ll do.” Darhk said causally. 

Darhk them moved his hand to the side and The Canary was slung to the other side of the room. As Green Arrow tried to rush him, Darhk whirled around and used his magic to hold him in place. Seeing this, The Canary took out one of her sonic devices and slammed it down on the floor. Immediately, a loud sonic screech pieces the air, shattering the windows and making Darhk lose his concentration as he holds his ears. Green Arrow then rushes him but Darhk, despite being in pain, manages to hold his own against him. Countering the archer’s moves, Darhk then turns the tables on Green Arrow, kicking him in the chest and sending the archer crashing in to a table. Once the shriek stopped, Darhk used his magic to send Green Arrow through a broken window. 

The Canary jumped up and rushed towards him, reaching out and grabbing his hand just before the archer fell to his death. She pulled him back into the room as Black Canary and Speedy ran in.

“Where is he?” Black Canary asked, not seeing Darhk.

“He got away.” Green Arrow growled.

Arrow Lair  
Night

“Well, that could have gone better.” Thea said as they returned to the lair.

“We should have been better.” Sara agreed.

“It’s no one’s fault.” Oliver told her.

“He is right beloved,” Nyssa said as she reached out and placed a hand on Sara’s back, “there is much that remains a mystery about Damien Darhk’s powers. Even my father was not able to discern the source of it.”

“Wait,” Oliver suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to him, “the source…that’s it!”

“You got an idea?” Diggle asked.

“On my fourth year away, I battled against a man who had magic like Darhk. He drew his power from a totem. And Vixen, she draws her power from her necklace. What if Darhk draws his magic from some sort of object?” Oliver explained.

“I think he does,” Quentin said as everyone turned to him, “I walked in on him once or twice in front of this cabinet thing. Inside was this…idol.”

“Can you draw it? The more we know the better chance we stand against Darhk.” Oliver told him.

“I’m not much of an artist.” Quentin told him.

“I am.” Nyssa stepped forward.

“Tell Nyssa what you saw and she’ll draw it. I’ll send it to Vixen; hopefully she can tell us what it is.” Oliver ordered.

Oliver’s office, next day  
Afternoon

“Hey,” Oliver looked up as Laurel walked in, “Alex said you seemed out of it. Is this because of Darhk?”

“Yeah.” Oliver sighed.

“Hey, we’ll get him, okay?” Laurel said as she walked over and took his face in her hands.

“It’s not just that, it’s…I took a look at Nyssa’s drawing before we sent it to Vixen. You remember how I told you guys how Darhk had similar powers to a man I met while I was away. It’s more than coincidence, Darhk draws his powers from the same totem the man did,” Oliver explained and Laurel dropped her hands to her sides, shocked, “I should have realized, I should have known.” 

“There was no way you could have known. I know you tend to blame yourself for everything Ollie but this is not your fault.” Laurel told him.

“But I’m the one who decided to take the fight to Darhk. And Darhk might get desperate now, and desperate people are dangerous. Which means whatever happens next is my Fault,” Oliver said before hos phone went off, “Vixen came through.”

Later, Oliver and Laurel stood around the table in the lair with Quentin, Thea, Diggle, Nyssa, and Sara.

“It’s a Khushu idol. According to Vixen, it’s as rare as it is powerful. It’s connected to the earth’s lay lines. It’s like Wi-Fi and the idol is his internet connection,” Oliver said after getting blank looks, “if Vixen is right, then Darhk has to be near one of these lay lines to get the strongest connection to his magic.”

“I shall have the League investigate every lay line in the area.” Nyssa said and Oliver nodded.

“I’ll have Lyla get on it to.” Diggle said as he walked off.

Star City  
Night

“Everyone in position?” Green Arrow asked over the comms.

“Affirmative.” Nyssa said.

“Ready.” Black Canary said.

“We are at your service Al-Sah-Him.” One of Nyssa’s assassins said.

“Set.” Spartan told him.

“Let’s do this.” Green Arrow said before they moved.

Green Arrow stepped forward before firing off a flash-arrow into the sky. As it went off, it drew the attention of Darhk’s security. As they approached, Green Arrow easily took them out with two arrows to the shoulder. 

“Atom, you’re up.” He ordered.

His cue given, The Atom flew out of the sky and crashed through the roof of the building. Darhk jumped to his feet and whirled around to see The Atom.

“Ah, Mr. Palmer, so nice of you to drop by. And to give me such a nice gift,” Darhk held out his hand and lifted Ray into the air, “thanks for the suit.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Atom told him.

Atom fired a laser at him and Darhk was thrown back. While all this was going on, one of Nyssa’s assassin snuck in and grabbed the idol. With Darhk down, Atom flew over to the assassin, grabbed onto to him, and they flew out the hole Atom had made.

Outside, Speedy and Black Canary were on motorcycles, being pursued by two Ghosts on motorcycles. At Black canary’s signal, Speedy sped ahead while Black Canary turned around to face the Ghosts. As they rode near her, Black Canary screamed, letting lose her Canary Cry. They were flung back by the force of it and thrown off the motorcycles, unconscious. Black Canary smirked as Speedy pulled up to her.

“Show off.” Speedy muttered.

Speedy and Black Canary then rode up as Green Arrow, Nyssa, and The Canary finished off the rest of the Ghosts.

“Now we need to find Darhk.” Green arrow ordered.

At that moment, the front door opened and Black Canary began gasping for breath.

“I’m sorry; I can’t hear you over the sound of your throat closing up.” Darhk sneered as he walked out.

The others drew their weapons and tried to strike Darhk but he used his magic on them as well, all of them suffocating as their lungs tried to draw in breath.

“Atom, separating it from Darhk didn’t work! Go to plan B!” Spartan said as he saw this from his vantage point.

“Plan B?” The assassin repeated next to Atom.

In response, Atom blasted the idol with one of his blue beams, shattering it into a million pieces.

Speedy and Black Canary fell to their knees while Green Arrow, The Canary, and Nyssa gasped, all feeling the sweet sensation of air filling their lungs. Darhk tried to continue chocking them but realized his magic wasn’t working. Going to plan B, Darhk rushed them. However, he was quickly defeated by Green Arrow, The Canary, and Nyssa. Hearing the sound of sirens, the five of them quickly fled the area.

Arrow lair  
Later

“We finally got him.” Thea grinned as they all made their way back to the lair.

“Are you sure we did the right thing by leaving him alive?” Sara asked.

“It’s better this way. He now gets to live behind bars, rotting in prison as his plans crumble away to nothing.” Oliver told her.

“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” Laurel said smugly.

“So, now what do we do?” Diggle asked and Oliver and Laurel exchanged a glance.

“Well, for starters…I think there’s something you guys should know,” Oliver began and everyone looked over at him, “I should told you all this a while ago out with everything that was going on, there hasn’t been a good time. When we went to Central city to go up against Vandal Savage, I found out something…”

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, a few days later  
Late afternoon

“Is everything ready?” Oliver asked as he walked into the dining room and set the pot of food on the table.

“Yes Ollie, try to relax.” Laurel said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

“You sure you want us here man?” Diggle asked as he gestured to himself and Thea.

“You three are the most important people in my life, I want you to meet him,” Oliver said as someone knocked, “that’s them.”

Oliver took a deep breath before walking over to the door and opened it. Samantha and William stood on the other side.

“Samantha, William, come on in,” Oliver stepped aside and they walked inside, “glad you could make it.”

“Thank you Oliver.” Samantha said politely.

“Well, you know Laurel,” Oliver gestured towards his girlfriend, “and this is my sister Thea and my friend, John Diggle.”

“Nice to meet you.” Diggle’s words were kind but his eyes were mostly on William

“Hi.” Thea said, likewise looking straight at William.

“Hello. I’m Samantha and this is my son William.” Samantha introduced herself.

“Hi.” William said, looking around at the room in awe.

“So, why don’t we eat?” Laurel suggested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter, we’re going to skip right to 4x18(A.K.A. the episode that Arrow died).This is because the only thing that was relevant that happened between 4x15 and 4x18 was the court case with Darhk, which would go mostly the same.


	16. A dark day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hive goes after the idol as Team Arrow desperately tries to protect it. Oliver suspects Andy is not as trust-worthy as he appears.

Arrow lair  
Night

“Why does that thing creep me out the way it does?” Diggle asked as Team Arrow stared at the idol.

“You mean besides the fact that it can put itself back together?” Thea asked sarcastically.

“John, Thea, there’s something I should have told you before. I’ve seen this thing before.” Oliver told them.

“What, where?” Thea asked stunned.

“Remember how I told you that I went up against a guy who drew his magic from a totem? Well.” Olivier gestured towards the idol.

“It was this?” Diggle asked and Oliver nodded.

“Where are we with the security upgrades?” Oliver asked.

“Everything’s set, we’re good to go.” Diggle told him.

“Because we can’t leave anything unchecked. If Hive finds the bunker, they find the idol.” Oliver said grimly.

“Oliver, I think we need to leave Andy right where he is. He can be our man on the inside.” Diggle suggested.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Oliver asked worriedly.

“Well, he’s out from Darhk’s influence. We can trust him.” Diggle insisted.

“Trust is one thing, installing him as our double agent is another. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone who’s still in recovery.” Oliver voiced his concerns.

“Andy’s a standup guy, he’s got this.” Diggle said with a confidence Oliver didn’t feel.

“And you’ve got this.” Thea said as she held up her phone to reveal it was time for the election results to be in.

“She’s right, you got this.” Laurel said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Star City  
Later

“I want to thank each and every one of you. I could not have done this without your help,” Oliver said as he stood in front of the podium and dressed the crowd, “the easy part’s over. Now we need to focus on making our city into what it was.”

The crowd gave him a round of applause as Oliver stepped back. Oliver walked off the podium, shaking hands with the people who stopped him before he reached Laurel and Thea.

“Nice speech.” Thea said as he reached them.

“Thanks,” Oliver said as he accepted a hug and kiss from Laurel, “Thea, can I talk to Laurel privately for a sec?”

“Sure.” Thea said and, after a beat, walked off.

“What’s wrong?” Laurel asked concerned.

“Nothing. District Attorney Remz is going to retire soon. I need a new DA, so I asked the people there for recommendations. They all gave the same person: you.” Oliver explained.

“You want me to be your new District Attorney?” Laurel asked stunned.

“Before you say yes, there’s something you should know: With all the deaths over the last few years, you would be under twenty-four hour surveillance. Which would make our…nighttime activities impossible.” Oliver told her.

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Laurel promised.

Star City  
Later

“It’s past eleven-thirty.” Green Arrow told Diggle.

“It’s U.S. Army man. Late means on time.” Diggle told him.

“Or we’re staking out the wrong place. The archer said grimly.

“If this is where it’s gonna be, this is where it’s gonna be.” Diggle said firmly.

Arrow lair  
Same time

“No movement yet.” Laurel said as she looked at the surveillance footage.

“We should be out there with them.” Thea complained.

“Even with John’s fancy Argus toys, this place is a lot safer with us watching over it.” Laurel promised.

At that moment, the alarms go off. Laurel and Thea quickly turn around and rush towards the idol to see three Ghosts standing by the case. Seeing them, one of the Ghosts turns and fires.

Star City  
Same time

“Look.” Green Arrow pointed towards the military truck.

As it passed, someone in Ghost gear jumped off a nearby truck and on top of it, hitching a ride. Diggle drove after the truck as they see a team of Ghosts begin taking the car. After one throws the drivers out, Diggle pulled up next to the car. Green Arrow notched an arrow and fired, hitting the one of the Ghosts. The Ghost fell out the back of a truck as Diggle pulled out behind them. The two got out as the other Ghosts confronted them. Green Arrow fired, getting another Ghost in the shoulder. As he turned towards the last Ghost, it held up his hands.

“Hey, it’s me! It’s me!” The Ghost pulled off his mask to reveal Andy’s face, “what’s wrong? We just saved this shipment and you made it look easy?”

“Because it was easy.” Green Arrow cursed himself as he realized it was a decoy.

Arrow Lair  
Same time

Thea knocked the Ghost of his feet and rushed over to hem, putting a knife to his throat. But she hesitated and the Ghost struck back, knocking her off him. He slugged her and she went down. 

Laurel whirled her side-batons, striking two Ghosts across the face. They went down, unconscious, and she raced back towards the idol. She found Thea unconscious, a cut on her forehead. Laurel leaned down as Thea opened her eyes. She helped the younger woman stand as they looked over at the case where idol once was as Green Arrow and Spartan burst in.

“It’s too late.” Laurel said as they lowered their weapons.

“The Ghosts?” Diggle asked.

“Yeah,” Thea said lowly, “he took the idol. We should have stopped him.”

“We should have been here,” Oliver said frustrated, “but you did everything you could.”

“The Ghosts are gonna give it to Darhk so he can get his mojo back.” Diggle said grimly.

“I’m searching the street cams, but nothing.” Laurel said as she looked through the cameras.

“I’m gonna go hit the streets.” Thea said as she walked off.

“I’m gonna go talk with Andy, see if he knows anything.” Diggle said as he started to walk off.

“John,” Oliver called out and Diggle paused, “Andy’s already risked a lot. I don’t wanna put him in a compromised position.”

“Andy’s already in a compromised position. There’s a direct line between him and the people we are looking for. Let’s use that.” Diggle said earnestly.

“Okay.” Oliver said reluctantly and Diggle walked off.

“Talk to me.” Laurel said, knowing Oliver was thinking something he wasn’t saying.

“We won our fight with the Ghosts way too easily; it was like they weren’t even trying. Meanwhile, it pulled our focus, the Ghosts somehow knew where the bunker is, and they were able to come down here and take the idol.” Oliver said frustrated.

“What are you saying Ollie?” Laurel asked concerned.

“What if Andy is playing us?” Oliver proposed.

“I’m not saying it’s not possible, it’s just that he’s John’s brother. He’s done so much for us, he saved Lyla.” Laurel reminded him.

“So I should just trust him outright?” Oliver asked.

“No. I’m just saying that you should be sure before you make an accusation that you and John can’t recover from,” Laurel said before she pulled out her buzzing phone, “it’s my dad, I gotta go.”

“I’ll see you later. I love you.” Oliver told her as they kissed.

“I love you to.” Laurel said before she walked off.

Star City  
Later

“This the place?” Green Arrow asked as Team Arrow walked in.

“Yeah.” Andy said as he walked into view.

“Why didn’t you have him radio us in?” Green Arrow asked Spartan annoyed.

“I had him stay behind for backup.” Spartan explained.

“There they are!” Spartan explained as he spitted Ghosts running. 

They took off in pursuit of them. Green Arrow and Andy took the lead, getting into a room before the others. A wall slid back, blocking the others out. There was a beeping and Andy jumped, jumping in front of Green Arrow as four arrows were fired. One got him in the shoulder as the others hit the wall.

“Are you okay?” Green Arrow asked.

“Swell.” Andy grunted as the wall moved and the others walked in.

“What happened?” Black Canary asked.

“He took an arrow for me.” Green Arrow admitted as Spartan knelt down next to his brother.

“You need to get to Iron Heights now.” Andy grunted, “If the idol’s here, then that means they’re on their way to give it to Darhk now. If Darhk gets it, no prison will hold him.” 

Iron Heights  
Later

“You’re lucky I’m not the man your father thinks I am Ms. Lance,” Darhk said as Laurel stood outside his cell after having the guards search his cell, “if I was the man who your father so vehemently insists I am, you would be in a lot of trouble.”

“Are you threatening an Assistant District Attorney?” Laurel challenged.

“No, not at all! Simply trying to figure out where your father gets these vicious ideas. God, I hope his mind isn’t starting to go! You know, dementia is sometimes an aftereffect of long-term alcoholism.” Darhk said idly.

“You’re a son of a bitch.” Laurel snapped.

“Regardless, it’s comforting to know that his heart is in the right place. After all, a father will do anything to protect his daughter from the Darhk.” He said mockingly.

“I’ll see you in court.” Laurel said before she walked off.

Arrow Lair  
Later

“How’d it go at Iron Heights?” Oliver asked as Laurel walked in.

“Turned up a few burner phones, six bags if heroine, and no idol.” Laurel said and Oliver sighed.

“Well, we’re hacked into the prison security system.so, if anything happens, we’ll see it.” Thea said optimistically. 

Oliver walked off and Laurel, concerned, followed him.

“Hey, you okay?” Laurel asked her boyfriend.

“No. John and I had a difference of opinion.” Oliver told her.

“About Andy?” Laurel asked and Oliver nodded.

“I confronted him and John walked in. I probably should have taken your advice, District Attorney.” Oliver smiled slightly.

“I decided not to take it. I don’t wanna give up my place here and having you wave my security would look like favoritism because we’re together.” Laurel told him.

“Laurel, being a D.A. is something you’ve worked the better part of three years for.” Oliver reminded her.

“I might have wanted to be a D.A. but that was a lifetime ago.” Laurel dismissed.

“Sara’s lifetime?” Oliver asked and she froze. “You channeled your grief into becoming the Black Canary. Sara’s not dead anymore. Maybe you owe it to yourself to resume the path you were on.”

“You’re serious?” Laurel asked.

“This city has enough heroes with masks on. Now more than ever, it needs a hero without one. It needs Laurel Lance.” Oliver told her.

“We have a problem!” Thea called out.

“What is it?” Oliver asked as they and Diggle rushed over.

“It was Rec hour. The prisoners were out of their cells, he’s holding the guards hostage.” Thea explained.

“How many?” Oliver demanded.

“Doesn’t matter how many, we need to put him back in his cage.” Diggle said and Oliver nodded.

“Suit up.” Oliver ordered.

“Ollie,” Laurel stopped him as he moved to walk off, “I can’t prosecute him if he’s not in custody,” Laurel pulled out her mask and looked at it for a moment, “one last time.”

Outside Iron Heights   
Later

“How are we gonna get passed all these cops?” Spartan inquired.

“Looks like Lance has it covered.” Green Arrow noted as they watched Quentin argue with Pike.

“By laying into Lieutenant Pike,” Speedy noted before Quentin punched Pike, “oh, he just knocked him out.” 

“To give as an opening. Let’s move.” Green Arrow ordered.

They entered the prison and it was at that point that Green Arrow noted Andy’s presence.

“I thought I told you to come alone.” Green Arrow told Spartan tersely.

“You did and I didn’t.” Spartan snapped.

“I know you don’t trust me but that’s why I’m here. To prove that you can.” Andy told him and Green Arrow sighed.

“Darhk has hostages in the mess hall. Let’s fan in and hit him from all sides.” Green Arrow ordered and they moved out.

The ladies went one way while the guys went another. Black Canary and Speedy walked down the hall and saw murmur with a prisoner.

“I remember this guy.” Black Canary said.

“Those lips. Gross.” Speedy muttered.

 

The prisoners tried to rush them while Speedy jumped behind Black Canary. Black Canary screamed, letting out her Canary Cry. The three prisoners were forced back, slamming into the wall, unconscious. Hearing the click of guns, the two turned to see three Ghosts standing at the door.

“Go,” Speedy told Black Canary, “I got this.”

After hesitating a second longer, Black Canary turned and ran.

As Darhk was about to have one of his men kill a guard, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Spartan, and Andy burst in. it quickly turned into a prison brawl of Team Arrow versus Darhk’s men as Darhk stood back and watched. While the others got the upper hand, Andy was put in a neck lock by one of Darhk’s men. Darhk then picked up a gun and took aim at Andy.

“Andrew Diggle, it’s been a while.” Darhk noted.

“Let him go!” Spartan barked.

“Drop your weapons.” Darhk ordered.

“Don’t do it.” Andy pleaded.

“Very well but in about three seconds, I’m gonna turn the wall into a Jackson Pollock painting with his brains. One.” Darhk began.

“Diggle.” Green Arrow whispered and the two men exchanged a glance.

“Two.” Darhk continued.

“Okay!” Spartan said as he held up his hands.

Growling, Green Arrow put his bow on the ground as the three of them were captured.

“Now, was that so hard?” Darhk asked as they were restrained. “I believe you have something for me?”

Andy was let go and reached into his jacket pocket. To the shock of Team Arrow, he pulled out the last piece of the idol.

“Andy.” Spartan breathed as his brother gave it to Darhk.

“Sorry man.” Andy said apathetically.

“Andy.” Spartan said betrayed as Andy was given a gun.

“I’ve been tracking your movements for months; I know everywhere you’ve been. All I needed to hear was that it was you who hid the stone.” Andy explained as he aimed at Spartan.

“Was there ever a chance for you?” Spartan demanded.

“Your brother’s much beyond reach Mr. Diggle,” Darhk said before he put the final peace in place on the idol, “it’s all over now.”

Two arrows suddenly hit Darhk in the chest, forcing him against the wall. Speedy raced in as Team arrow fought back against their capturers. While this was going on, Andy shot two of Darhk’s men and Darhk used them to draw energy to heal himself. Darhk laughed as he stood up and used to magic to hold Team Arrow in place.

“Ah that feels so much better. And I’m sorry about your buddies but I’m gonna make it up to you. Who would like to go for a walk outside!?” Darhk laughed as they walked out of the room, “Andy here might have mentioned that his brother John worked for the Green Arrow A.K.A. Oliver Queen. Oh, I don’t want you thinking he told me. It was really just a hop-skip to the Diggle connection to you to your girlfriend to your little sister.”

“Sir, we need to leave.” A Ghost said.

“Patience,” Darhk used his magic to throw Spartan and Speedy across the room, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Ms. Lance, nine months ago, I told your father what I would if he ever betrayed me.”

Green Arrow, desperate to protect Black Canary, jumped up, notched an arrow, and fired. Darhk caught it and ensnared Green Arrow in his magic again.

“Impressive. Now where was I? Oh yeah,” Darhk turned back to Black Canary, “Nine months ago. I want you to give your father a message from me. I want you to tell him-”

Darhk then stabbed Black Canary in the upper abdomen with the arrow he had caught. Green Arrow watched in horror as she gasped in pain. 

“That I’m a man of my word.” Darhk finished.

Darhk waved his hand and they were all free from his magic. As Darhk walked off, Green Arrow rushed over as Black Canary fell to her knees. Picking her up bridal style, Green Arrow rushed off.

Starling General Hospital  
Later

“Help her!” Green Arrow shouted as he burst in with Black Canary in his arms.

A doctor walked in just as he laid Black Canary on a medical bed.

“I need you to help her. Please!” He begged.

“She’s lost a lot of blood. I need a crash cart and a trauma team in here stat!” She yelled before turning to him. “I need you to let her go.”

“What?” Green Arrow asked as though he had been told to quit archery.

“I need you to let her go so I can help her. Now leave! The trauma team will be here and the last thing she needs is a circus. Go!” She ordered.

With one last look at the woman he loved, Green Arrow turned and burst out of the room.

Later, Oliver stood out in the waiting room as Quentin, Diggle, and Thea rushed over her.

“Oliver! Laurel is she…” Quentin trailed off.

“She’s still in surgery. I-I don’t know,” Oliver told him, what happened with Darhk?”

“He got away. With about fifty other inmates.” Thea explained.

“And Andy,” Diggle said lowly as he put a hand over his face, “you warned me and I didn’t listen. I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

Not saying anything, for fear he would say something he regretted later, Oliver simply walked over and placed a hand on Diggle’s shoulder. At that moment, Laurel was wheeled down the hall by the medical team. She was deathly pale, paler than Oliver or Quentin had ever seen her. 

“She’s out of recovery, she’s gonna be fine,” the doctor told them as they breathed a sigh of relief, “she’s a strong woman, you’re friend.”

“You have no idea.” Thea said.

“She’s been asking for you.” The doctor said before walking off.

They entered Laurel’s room and she opened her eyes, smiling slightly.

“Hey.” Laurel said weakly.

“Hey baby.” Quentin said as he took her hand.

“Did Darhk-” Laurel began.

“Don’t worry about that now.” Oliver told her.

“Well, this isn’t exactly how I wanted my last night to go.” Laurel chuckled weakly.

“Last night, what do you mean?” Thea asked.

“It’s a long story but tonight was supposed to be my last night as Black Canary. But I realized that I don’t know how I could. Because going out there and fighting alongside you guys is what makes me feel alive inside. I love you guys so much.” Laurel told them.

“We love you.” Quentin said.

“We love you.” Thea said sounding like she was about to cry.

“We love you.” Diggle said smiling.

“You know I do.” Oliver told her.

“We should probably let you get some rest.” Thea said.

“We’ll be right outside.” Oliver assured her, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Laurel smiled before closing her eyes, going to sleep. As they walked outside, Oliver was stopped by Laurel’s doctor.

“Mayor Queen, may I speak with you? Privately.” She said with a pointed look at the others.

“Sure.” Oliver exchanged a shrug with Quentin before allowing her to lead him away.

“Were you aware that Ms. Lance was pregnant?” The doctor said bluntly and Oliver was stunned into silence for a few moments.

“What?” Oliver demanded, unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

“She was about one month pregnant. I don’t think she was even aware of it, as she hasn’t asked about It.” the doctor explained.

“The baby is it…” Oliver couldn’t finish as a cold not settled in his stomach.

“I’m very sorry, we did everything we could,” The doctor said and Oliver nodded as a cold despair washed over him, “If you can’t, I could tell her father and the others.”

“Yeah…yeah.” Oliver said numbly.

“I’m so sorry.” She repeated before walking past to him to inform the others. As she walked away, Oliver leaned back against the wall before sliding to the floor, letting cold despair wash over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, Marc Guggenheim, is how you make a game-changing tragedy, give sufficient personal motivation to the main character to want the villain dead, all without RUINING YOUR DAMN SHOW!!!!


	17. The fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone deals with the fallout of the prison riot as a young woman using Laurel's gear runs amok.

Starling General Hospital  
Night

“Ollie,” Thea said softly as she approached her unresponsive brother, “the doctor just told us. I don’t know what to say…except how sorry I am.”

“Don’t tell Laurel,” Oliver said stiffly as he picked himself up off the floor, “it should come from em…she deserves to hear it from me.”

“Okay.” Thea said softly.

“Tell John and Quentin that to.” Oliver said before he turned and walked off.

Arrow Lair, next day  
Morning

“You called man?” Diggle said as he and Thea walked into the lair to see Oliver sitting at the table.

“Darhk is still at large and he has his magic back.” Oliver noted as he stood up.

“We need to get that son of a bitch.” Diggle said darkly.

“Well said Dig.” Everyone turned to see Sara walk in.

“Sara.” Oliver said surprised.

“Dad called me and Nyssa…I’m sorry Ollie,” Sara told the archer and he nodded tersely, “Nyssa has the League searching the city and neighboring towns for Darhk. But that’s not why I’m here.”

“What?” Diggle said as she handed him the newspaper and he took a look at the headline.

“There was a Black Canary sighting last night, after Laurel got hurt.” Sara explained.

“But that’s not possible.” Thea said confused as Oliver went over to the computers.

“This-this doesn’t make sense.” Oliver said as he brought up the footage, “Wait.” 

Oliver stood up and walked away from them all. They watched as he picked up a bag and searched through it.

“That’s it. This bag from the hospital is supposed to contain all of Laurel’s possessions…but her sonic device is missing.” Oliver explained.

“That explains it. There were people in and out of Laurel’s room. Doctors, nurses, orderlies.” Diggle listed.

“So someone took it?” Thea asked confused.

Starling General Hospital  
Afternoon

“Dr. Schwartz,” Oliver called out as he reached Laurel’s doctor, “may we speak somewhere…private?”

She nodded silently and the pair walked into an empty on-call room.

“First off, I’d like to thank you for your…discretion.” Oliver said carefully and she nodded.

“Doctor-patient privilege, Mayor Queen. Besides, she helped the city. The least I can do is help her. And you.” Schwartz said and Oliver nodded.

“At least twelve staffers saw me bring her into the hospital last night.” Oliver reminded her.

“They saw the Black Canary but we operated on Laurel Lance. Who I believe was injured in an Iron Heights Prison riot.” Schwartz said coolly and Oliver sighed.

“But there was a Black Canary sighting last night. This person used a sonic device, the same sonic device that was taken from Laurel’s position in her room.” Oliver explained and she looked at him sharply.

“Are you saying-?” 

“I have reason to believe that someone walked into her room and took it. Now can you put me on the path?” Oliver asked and Schwartz sighed.

“There’s a frequent flier.” she said after a moment of thought.

“What’s a frequent flier?” Oliver asked.

“Someone who pays frequent visits to the ER. I’ve treated her multiple times and there’s something…”

“Off about her?” Oliver finished and Schwartz nodded. “Can you give me her name?”

“Doctor-patient confidentiality applies to all my patients, Mayor Queen.” She said and Oliver nodded in understanding.

“Thank you for your help.” Oliver said before he turned and walked out of the room.

On his way down the hall, he was pausing Laurel’s room. He paused, peaking through the glass. Laurel was asleep with Quentin next to her. Oliver was tempted to go in and even reached for the handle but stopped himself. Balling his hand into a fist, he lowered his hand to his side and walked off.

It was time to act.

Arrow lair  
Night

“The League has found nothing of Damien Darhk or Hive so far,” Nyssa said as she walked in, noticing Sara, Thea, and Diggle crowded around the computers, “is there something interesting on?”

“Oliver said to watch the news, said that there’d be something we’d want to see.” Diggle explained as Nyssa walked over.

“Good evening,” Oliver said as he appeared on the screen in a suit, the caption ‘Mayor Queen calls press conference under him, “as you all know, Assistant District Attorney Dinah Laurel Lance was injured and put in the hospital due to a riot that took place at Iron Heights last night. Ms. Lance has named Damien Darhk as the mastermind behind the riot as well as her assailant. If there was any doubt to the accusations laid against Mr. Darhk, I think we can all agree it is gone now.

“The time for talking is gone. Words won’t do anything, only action will. I am reinstating the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, which I hereby rebrand the Anti-Hive Task Force. This task force exists for one reason and one reason alone: to take down Damien Darhk and his organization, Hive. Damien Darhk, you are now a wanted man, dead or alive.”

“Did you two know he was gonna do this?” Sara asked Diggle and Thea.

“No.” Diggle said stunned as Thea shook her head.

“And they didn’t.” Oliver said as he walked in.

“How’d you get here so fast?” Thea asked surprised.

“Oh, I shot that over an hour ago.” Oliver said casually. 

“Oliver, look,” Diggle said as he faced Oliver, “I know you blame me for what happened-”

“I don’t blame you.” Oliver cut off Diggle.

“What?” Diggle said surprised.

“I don’t blame you John. We all have blind spots when it comes to our family. If you recall, my repeatedly ignoring you about my blind spot for my mother is what prevented me from stopping The Undertaking. So no, I don’t blame you…I blame myself.” Oliver announced stunning everyone.

“Oliver, this is not your fault.” Nyssa told him firmly.

“Isn’t it? I have had multiple chances to end this before it begins by killing Darhk. But I thought it was more important to have the moral high ground. And look what’s happened because of my unwillingness to end it? I won’t make that mistake again.” Oliver said firmly.

“What about Tommy?” Diggle said and only they knew what he was talking about.

“I promised on Tommy’s grave that I wouldn’t kill unless I absolutely had to…but if this is where that leads, then I am done with it.” Oliver said firmly.

“I have news.” A member of the League said as he stepped out of the shadows.

“About Damien Darhk?” Nyssa asked sharply.

“No Mistress, about the woman impersonating the Black Canary.” The assassin explained.

“Talk.” Oliver growled.

“Her name is Evelyn Sharp. She is sixteen years old, went missing before the New Year with her family. They were at Reddington when Damien Darhk kidnapped Ms. Queen, Ms. Lance, and Mr. Diggle.” The assassin explained.

“Reddington?” Thea interrupted.

“It’s where Darhk held the three of you over the holidays.” Sara explained.

“Do you know where she is?” Oliver demanded.

Star City  
Later

Evelyn sharping was suiting up, about to go out, when they struck. The windows of the house she was staying at shattered as The Canary and Nyssa burst through them. Evelyn whirled around as the door burst open, revealing the Green Arrow with his bow drawn. Evelyn screamed but with their special ear plugs, it didn’t affect them. The archers fired, forcing Evelyn to take cover. The Canary lunged for her tackling her to the ground. Evelyn closed her eyes, sure she was dead. She felt The Canary’s hands around her throat, moving around, and then they vanished as she felt The Canary stand up. Evelyn looked up to The Canary with the sonic device in her hands.

“I know about Reddington,” Green Arrow began and she looked over at him, “I know I failed you and everyone else there that night. But if you ever do something like this again, I’ll make sure you won’t.”

“You can’t stop me!” Evelyn snarled.

In response, Green Arrow fired. The arrow hit Evelyn in the leg and she cried out in pain as she went down to the ground.

“Actually, I can.” Green Arrow snarled.

Nyssa picked up the bag of pistols on the couch and the three of them left.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, next day  
Mid-afternoon 

Barry Allen walked inside the loft, immediately spotting Oliver. Oliver was sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of scotch in front of him. It probably wasn’t his first, Barry mused as he walked over.

“What are you doing here Barry?” Oliver asked without looking up.

“Dig called me, I would’ve been here sooner but I had trouble with Zoom,” Barry said and Oliver nodded, “how’s Laurel?” 

“She’ll be fine psychically. The doctors are optimistic.” Oliver said blankly.

“And the…other thing?” Barry asked quietly, not sure how Oliver would react.

“We haven’t told her yet.” Oliver said and Barry nodded, “there was a time when I would’ve thought that this was my fault. That I brought this darkness into our lives. Now I know it’s not my fault, it’s my responsibility.” 

“To do what?” Barry asked uncertainly.

“To end it. I’m gonna kill him.” Oliver growled.

“Is there anything I can do?” Barry inquired.

“No. I’d like to be left alone.” Oliver said firmly.

Barry nodded before walking out, leaving Oliver alone. Oliver put a hand to his eyes as tears flowed. Then, gathering himself, Oliver picked up his glass of scotch, took a big gulp, and set it down. Standing up, Oliver grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

Starling General Hospital  
Later in the afternoon

“Hey, have you seen my boyfriend?” Laurel joked weakly as Oliver walked in.

“Sorry I haven’t been by. I’ve been…trying to find Darhk.” Oliver said as he took the seat by her bedside. 

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m alright,” Laurel said before noticing Oliver’s wince, “is everything okay?”

“I, um, told the others not to tell you this. I thought it should come from me.” Oliver began slowly.

“Thought what should come from you? Laurel asked as she sat up as best she could.

“When Darhk um, stabbed you,” Oliver sighed shakily, trying to form the words, “You were…you were…were pregnant.”

“What? No I wasn’t.” Laurel said baffled.

“You were barely a month along, you wouldn’t have known.” Oliver said and Laurel sat, stunned.

“You keep talking in past tense.” Laurel said in a low voice.

“You lost a lot of blood. The doctors did everything they could…but they could only save one of you. Laurel, the baby died.” Oliver said his face showing his devastation at the news. Laurel simply sat there for a moment. Then, once the news sank in, she started crying. Oliver got up from the chair and climbed into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her. Laurel clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder as she cried over there lose. Oliver simply held her, doing his best not to let her see his own tears.


	18. Genesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and his allies learn about Darhk's final plan as Darhk gets the last piece of it.

Starling General Hospital  
Late afternoon

You’re the mayor; can’t you have them bring me something other than hospital food?” Laurel pleaded as she looked over at her boyfriend.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t press your luck.” Oliver quipped and Laurel sighed.

“Anything on Darhk?” she asked and Oliver sighed as he shook his head.

“Not yet but it’s only been four days since he escaped. We have the entire police force looking for him and Nyssa has the League looking for him to. It’s only a matter of time Laurel.” Oliver promised.

“I wish I could be out there with you.” Laurel sighed.

“Laurel, Darhk almost killed you. We’re all just happy you’re alive.” Oliver told her.

“I know, so am I. but since I can’t be out there with you…I want you to promise me something.” Laurel told him.

“Anything.” Oliver said immediately.

“Kill him. I don’t want him taken prisoner; I want him to die for what he did to us. I want you to promise me that you will kill him.” Laurel told him darkly.

“Consider it done.” Oliver agreed.

“Hey,” Diggle knocked lightly on the doorframe as he walked in, “How are you doing?”

“Alright, considering.” Laurel said and he nodded.

“Nyssa called. She wants to meet us, says she has something.” Diggle told Oliver and he nodded.

“Okay,” Oliver stood up and leaned down to kiss Laurel, “I’ll see you later, call if this turns out to be a lead.”

“I love you.” Laurel said as Oliver pulled back.

“I love you to.” Oliver said before he and Diggle walked out.

Star City  
Night

“What is this place?” Diggle asked as he looked around.

“It’s a meeting place of the League in Star City. Sara,” Oliver called out as his ex walked into view, “what’s going on?”

“Follow me.” She said simply and turned to lead them deeper into the chamber.

Exchanging a glance, the two followed Sara. Walking into a room, they see Nyssa, flanked by three other assassins. But it is the person behind them, held up only by chains on his arms, that has their attention.

“Andy, you son of a bitch!” Diggle snarled as he tried to rush his brother but Sara blocks him.

“Easy Dig. Pay attention.” Sara gently reprimands him.

Once he calms down a bit, Diggle sees that the only thing holding Andy up is the chains on his arms. His shirt is open and there are various wounds that suggested torture. Andy blinks as he looked up at him, as if just realizing he was there.

“We found him in a warehouse with a few other Ghosts this afternoon. I think he’s ready to talk.” Sara said idly.

“What do you want to know?” Andy grunted weakly.

“What’s Darhk’s next move?” Oliver growled as he stormed over to the Ghost.

“He’s going after Rubicon.” Andy told them.

“Rubicon, that’s what Shadowspire was after when they took Lyla and Waller hostage.” Diggle remembered.

“What is Rubicon?” Oliver demanded.

“A computer chip that is so much more. It was designed by the government as a failsafe to override a launch code. To prevent a country, even ours, from launching a nuke.” Andy explained.

“Then why does Damien Darhk want it?” Nyssa demanded.

“He believes he can modify it to launch the world’s nukes. He calls it Genesis.” Andy explained.

“Why the hell would Darhk do that?” Diggle demanded as they stared at Andy in horror.

“Genesis…like the bible,” Oliver muttered as he turned to face them, “God flooded the earth so mankind could rebuild, Rubicon is Darhk’s flood…John, get Lyla on the phone. Now.” 

As Diggle pulled out his phone and dialed his wife, Oliver, Sara, and Nyssa turned their attention back to Andy.

“What do we do with him? No prison can hold him and he’s loyal to Darhk.” Sara pointed out.

“Leave him alive…for now. He may still prove useful.” Oliver noted.

“Lyla, Lyla!” Diggle’s shout drew their attention, “Oliver, we need to go! Lyla’s in trouble!”

Star City  
Later

Lyla groaned as she came to. Hearing someone entering her van, she looked up just as Spartan and Green arrow entered. She stood up as Spartan rushed over and embraced her.

“Are you okay?” Spartan asked as he stepped back to check her.

“I’m fine, Sara!” Lyla shouted as she remembered her daughter.

“She’s fine.” Green Arrow assured her as he took Sara Diggle out of her crib.

“Thank god,” Lyla sighed before she gasped and looked down at her wounded wrist, “oh no, Darhk took it.”

“Let me guess, ‘it’ is Rubicon?” Green Arrow guessed and she looked up at him sharply.

“”how do you know about that?” She demanded.

“We found Andy, he coughed up everything. Darhk wants to use it to destroy the world so he can rebuild it.” Spartan explained and she paled.

“Which means we don’t have a moment to waste.” Lyla said grimly.

League meeting place  
Later

“Ollie, is Lyla alright?” Sara asked as Oliver walked back in.

“She’s fine. Nyssa, give me your sword.” Oliver demanded.

“What?” Nyssa asked like he had demanded her arm.

“Give me your sword.” Oliver said more forcibly.

Wearily, Nyssa drew her sword and handed it to Oliver. Oliver stalked over to Andy and stabbed him in the side of his chest. Andy cried out in pain as Oliver slowly twisted it, taking care to cause a great amount of pain.

“Tell me where Darhk is hiding. If you answer cooperate, I will give you a quick death. If not, I’ll let Nyssa’s assassins have some fun.” Oliver growled.

“There’s a city. Darhk built a city under Star City.” Andy gasped in pain.

“Where?” Oliver demanded, pushing the sword just a bit further into Andy.

“The Glades! It’s under The Glades!” Andy shouted in agonizing pain.

Oliver ripped the sword out of Andy before bringing it up and cutting a diagonal line across Andy’s chest. Andy went limp as Oliver turned and walked away.

“Ollie, what’s happening?” Sara asked as he walked over to her and Nyssa.

“Darhk has Rubicon. Nyssa, mobilize The League. We need to stop Darhk now or there won’t be a world left to save.” Oliver said grimly.


	19. The end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and his allies go after Darhk and Hive as they try to prevent Genesis.

Arrow Lair  
Night

“Okay, Nyssa is mobilizing the League,” Oliver said as he stood in front of Thea Diggle, and Lyla, “Lyla, how much time do we have before Darhk unleashes Rubicon?”

“There’s a twenty four hour countdown before it starts. We need to stop it somehow.” Lyla said distressed.

“I know. Which is why I called the smartest person we know.” Oliver said as the elevators opened.

“Okay, why am I here? You said something about the end of the world.” Ray said as he walked in.

“Ray, Lyla is gonna take you to Argus. She’ll fill you in on the way but you are the best hope we have of stopping a nuclear Armageddon.” Oliver said as he turned around to face Ray.

“Okay.” Ray said beginning to get freaked out. 

“Come on, let’s go.” Lyla said as she began to lead Ray out of the room.

“Okay, now,” Oliver walked over to the computers and brought up a digital version of the map he had gotten from Vixen, “now, Darhk’s magic is powered by death. If even one of those nuke’s hits, he’ll be virtually unstoppable. Darhk will try to harness all the death in something called a Nexus Chamber. Basically, it’s called a magic collector.”

“And here I thought earthquake machines were as weird as it got.” Diggle quipped.

“Vixen told me that one of these chambers exists here in Star City. I’m gonna bet it falls on a ley line.” Oliver explained.

“Ollie, it’s a big city.” Thea told him.

“We have just under twenty-four hours,” Oliver reminded her before his phone rang, “hello?”

“Ollie, we’re about to enter the underground city,” Sara told him as she and Nyssa stood with the League in front of the entrance to the underground city, “but we found out something: there’s a nexus chamber under city hall.”

“You’re sure about this?” Oliver asked.

“Positive.” Sara assured him.

“Thanks. May I speak to Nyssa?” Oliver asked.

“You wish to speak?” Nyssa said after Sara handed her the phone.

“The innocent people, spare them.” Oliver told her.

“I’m aware, they will not be harmed.” Nyssa assured him.

“But if there is any members of Hive down there, unless they can help stop Rubicon…take no prisoners.” Oliver ordered.

“With pleasure.” Nyssa smirked before hanging up.

Hanging up, Oliver dialed a number and put his phone to his ear. Once the person on the other end answered, Oliver spoke before they had a chance.

“Alex, I want you to evacuate City Hall. Immediately.” Oliver ordered.

“What, why?” Alex asked confused.

“I have reason to believe that Damien Darhk may be in the building. Don’t call the police, don’t tell anyone. Just issue an evacuation. Now.” Oliver ordered.

“Of course.” Alex said before he hung up.

City Hall  
Later

Green Arrow, Spartan, and Speedy wondered into the lower levels of the building, looking around. Seeing a sort of lever, Green Arrow walked over and pulled it back. The wall lifted up and revealed a hidden chamber. Exchanging a glance, the three vigilantes walked inside the chamber. It didn’t take them long to spot Darhk, standing on a platform behind his idol.

“Well, you’re here earlier than expected.” Darhk said surprised to see them.

“You’d be surprised how good the League of Assassins is at gathering information.” Spartan said, leveling his gun at Darhk.

“Today is the day you die, you son of a bitch.” Green Arrow growled, aiming how bow at Darhk.

“Oh, don’t posture Oliver! You couldn’t kill the man who killed your mother. You certainly won’t kill me!” Darhk laughed.

“People change.” Green Arrow snarled before he fired. 

Darhk lazily lifted his hand, stopping the arrow just before it hit his face. However, the arrow then exploded, sending Darhk flying back. As he got back up, Team Arrow sprang into action. Spartan and Speedy took off in opposite directions, both firing their weapon of choice at Darhk. Darhk held us up his hands and stopped the bullets and arrows in mid-air. With a flick of his wrists, Darhk sent them back at them. The two dodged the bullets and Arrows as Green Arrow jumped up and tried to strike Darhk with his bow. But Darhk used his magic and Green Arrow was frozen in place.

“You’ve tried all this before, what makes you think this time will be any different?” Darhk asked sounding bored.

“I made a promise to someone.” Green Arrow snarled.

“A promise!” Darhk laughed as he used his other hand to freeze Speedy and Spartan in place. “you think that’s what will let you beat me!?”

“Yes!” Green Arrow snarled and something happened.

Inexplicably, Green Arrow overpowered Darhk’s magic and swung his bow, striking Darhk in the face. Darhk stumbled back as Green Arrow advanced on him, slugging him. Darhk tried to use his magic on Green Arrow, but it didn’t work. 

“How is this possible?! How are you blocking my magic?!” Darhk demanded as he and Green Arrow exchanged blows.

“It looks like there’s only one thing more powerful than your magic: hatred.” Green Arrow sneered before he grabbed Darhk by the shirt and threw him into the wall as Speedy and Spartan fell to their knees, freed from Darhk’s magic.

“You can’t stop me, Darhk said as he stood up, “Rubicon will go on whether I lose here or not. You can’t stop it. No matter what happens, Genesis will happen.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But I do know one thing: It ends here.” Green Arrow snarled in rage.

The two rushed each other and Green Arrow tackled Darhk to the ground. As they wrestled, Green Arrow pulled out a flechette. As he pinned Darhk to the ground, Green Arrow stabbed Darhk in the heart with it. Darhk gasped in pain before the archer twisted the weapon and Darhk stilled. Green Arrow stood up and stared down at his enemy’s body as his teammates walked up to him.

“You okay?” Spartan asked and Green Arrow shook his head.

“I won’t be using the term ‘okay’ for quite a while. But at least it’s over.” Green Arrow sighed tiredly.

Argus base  
Later

“I got it.” Ray sighed as Team Arrow walked in.

“Got what?” Oliver asked and Lyla and Ray turned their attention to him.

“There was a backdoor in Rubicon. Even Waller makes mistakes, I guess. Anyway, I was able to prevent the launch.” Ray said relief and everyone sighed, sharing is sentiment.

“Ray, you wonderful man, you just saved the world.” Thea said as she embraced him.

“Um, thanks.” Ray said as he awkwardly hugged Thea back.

“What happened with Darhk?” Lyla asked as she looked over at Oliver and Diggle.

“He won’t be a problem anymore.” Oliver promised.

“Good to hear.” Everyone turned to see Nyssa and Sara enter, dragging in a bruised Ruve Darhk.

“Well, look what the assassins dragged in.” Thea quipped, smirking at a sneering Ruve.

“So, it looks like everyone accomplished what that set out to do.” Nyssa noted.

“Yeah. Rubicon was prevented and Darhk is dead.” Lyla said and Ruve blenched as Oliver walked up to her.

“You dedicated your life to a madman who saw himself as a god,” Oliver said and Ruve glared at him, “with him gone, leaving you to take the fall as his accomplice in all his crimes, you’ll have to wrestle with the question…who are you without him?”

“We’ll take her from here,” Lyla said as Ruve was handed off to two Argus agents, “it’s finally over.”

“Yeah…it’s over.” Oliver sighed tiredly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be an epilogue after this and that will be the end.


	20. Moving on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Laurel, and Diggle all attempt to move on from the events of the last few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the final chapter! And for those of you who are wondering, there will not be any follow-ups to this. I have immensely enjoyed writing this series and am grateful for all the support. But I feel this is a good stopping point. I hope you all enjoy it!

Starling General Hospital  
Morning

Laurel opened her eyes, blinking as her vision came into focus. Looking over, she saw Oliver sitting in the chair next to her bed and she smiled.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Oliver asked, taking her hand.

“I’ve been better. How’d it go last night?” Laurel asked as she frowned.

“We stopped Hive, I found Darhk. He’s dead and the city is safe.” Oliver told her slowly and Laurel was silent.

“I thought knowing he was dead would make me feel better…but it doesn’t.” Laurel admitted.

“I learned a long time ago that revenge…doesn’t help in the long run. The only thing that does help is time.” Oliver told her, squeezing her hand slightly.

“I just…ever since you told me…I can’t help but imagine it. I think it would have been a girl, at least I hope. With curly blonde hair a-and blue eyes. I just-” Laurel stopped, beginning to cry.

Oliver crawled into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her. She clanged to him desperately, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing.

Arrow Lair  
Afternoon

“Hey, how’s she doing?” Diggle asked as Oliver walked in.

“As well as you can expect. She’ll be alright John. In time. You okay?” Oliver asked as he noted the look on Diggle’s face.

“No. What happened to Laurel...to the baby, was my fault. I know,” Diggle held up his hand before Oliver could say anything, “You don’t blame me. But I do. If I had listened to you, the baby would still be alive. I can’t forgive myself for that. Not now, maybe not ever.”

“What are you saying John?” Oliver asked him.

“I need some time away. From the city, from the team.” Diggle told him.

“If that’s what you need, then take it. But if you ever need anything. I’m just a call away.” Oliver said as he held out his hand.

“I know.” Diggle said as he reached out and shook Oliver’s hand.

Oliver and Laurel’s loft, a few days later  
Afternoon

“I hate this.” Laurel pouted as Oliver pushed her wheelchair towards the front door of their home.

“It’s just for a few weeks. After what happened, I’m just happy you’re alive to complain.” Oliver joked and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re cute.” Laurel said sarcastically.

Oliver simply smirked as they reached the door. He opened the door and pushed her through. As he closed the door, Laurel was startled as she saw the ‘Welcome home Laurel!’ banner and Quentin walked out with a cake as Sara, Thea, and Nyssa stood in front of the table.

“Wow.” Laurel said stunned.

“We wanted to welcome you home.” Sara said smiling.

“I hope you’re in the mood for cake.” Quentin said as he set it on the table.

“After the hospital food, cake will taste like a steak.” Laurel brightened as everyone laughed.

“Well then let’s eat.” Thea said, grabbing Laurel’s chair from her brother and pushing her over to the table.

“Do you think she will be alright?” Nyssa asked Oliver concerned as they looked over at Laurel.

“I think she will be eventually. But she needs time.” Oliver said as he stared at Laurel laughing as Quentin cut the cake.

Nyssa nodded and the two walked over to the table, Oliver sitting next to Laurel and Nyssa next to Sara. Laurel looked over at Oliver and smiled softly as he took her hand. Everything would be alright…in time.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is so short, next chapter well probably be a little on the short side as well but the chapter after that will get the ball rolling. Please leave any thoughts or comments you may have, feedback is greatly appreciated.


End file.
